Dr. Dobb’s Journal just published an article of mine about SQL Server in the cloud. In it, I cover:
- The full espresso-strength option for SQL in the cloud
- The “instant coffee” version that might just meet your needs
- Two real world use cases – one that needed espresso, and one that ended up with Nescafe
You can read the article, and then let me know what you think here. (They don’t have discussions on articles.)

Rob Mackenzie December 17, 2009 | 8:22 am
Hi Brent,
I was wondering if you had any insight to the current state of database performance with the new Server/Sql 2008 options at Amazon EC2. You had an article a while back which criticized the performance of Sql 2005 on the 2003 servers they had, saying that the throughput was the equivalent of running your db off a thumb-drive. It appears like they’re trying to address some of the previous limitations of Windows on EC2 (server version, boot drive, etc.) and I was wondering if this translated to performance benefits.
Cheers,
Rob
Brent Ozar December 17, 2009 | 8:23 am
Rob – good question. I’ve been curious about that myself, but since it costs money to ramp up a new server and do performance testing, I haven’t bothered. I’ve been waiting until I see word from them that there’s a better-performing storage subsystem available, or that they’ve improved it somehow. Have you seen anything to that effect?
Rob Mackenzie December 17, 2009 | 9:13 am
Not to be overly analytical about the new server options, but they do in fact “feel” zippier. It’s definitely cool to see how fast they boot and even cooler that they can sit idle and uncharged in the stopped state. Neither of these perks address day-to-day operations however.
Maybe in the New Year I could provide the server(s) and you could provide the skill(s) or at least direction to dig into it a little more.
Thanks for < 1 min. reply,
Rob
Brent Ozar December 17, 2009 | 9:15 am
You bet! If you give me the login I’d be glad to dig into the storage performance and let you know what I find. Happy holidays, and talk to you next year!