1. sponsored by HP Enterprise
Maximizing SQL Server 2016 performance using new features and proper hardware configuration
sponsored by HP Enterprise

2. Introduction Maurice De Vidts
Senior Electrical Engineer at HPE
Over 20 years database industry experience
Develops Reference architectures and best practices for SQL Server on HPE

3. New Features (Performance related)
Too many to list here but here are some we will cover.
Support for persistent memory
Automatic SOFT NUMA
Automatic partitioning of tempDB
MAXDOP for DBCC checktable, checkdb, and checkfilegroup
Database level MAXDOP
Query store feature for performance analysis (query regression)
In memory database improvements
Increase to 24 CPU limit for standard edition

4. Key existing performance configuration areas in SQL 2016 and older versions
NUMA Configuration
Memory Management
Backups
Installation

5. New performance related features

6. Support for persistent memory (NVDIMM)
Windows 2016 and SQL Server 2016 support
Persistent memory as Block and
Byte addressable devices
Much faster than flash
Storage Spaces can use as WB cache in front of pool
Tail of the Log enhancement built in to engine
Block device option including Win2012R2
8GB NVDIMM

7. Convergence of memory and storage
Persistent Memory = The speed of memory with the persistence of storage
CPU
Cache
DRAM
Flash SDD
Memory
Load-Store Data
Low Latency
Volatile
Speed
Persistent Memory
In order to solve these customer needs, technology must change. To illustrate, take a look at our pyramid of memory and storage convergence.
Technology at the top of the pyramid have the shortest latency (best performance) but come at a higher cost relative to the items at the bottom of the pyramid. These are the technology layers comprised of DRAM (memory) and the CPU cache and registers. All of these components are accessed directly by the application – also known as load-store data access.
Technology at the bottom of the pyramid – represented by Magnetic media (HDDs and tape) and NAND flash (represented by SSDs and PCIe Workload Accelerators) have longer latency and lower costs relative to the technology at the top of the pyramid. These technology components have block-store access meaning data is typically communicated in blocks of data and the applications are not accessed directly.
What’s missing is a new layer we call Non-Volatile Memory (NVM). This layer sits between NAND flash and DRAM, providing faster performance relative to NAND flash but also providing the non-volatility not typically found in traditional memory offerings. This technology layer provides the performance of memory with the persistence of traditional storage.
Storage
Block-Store Data
Long Latency
Non-Volatile
Magnetic HDD
Persistence

8. NVDIMM technology and application performance
Technology performance
Application performance
Comparing NVDIMMs to …
SAS SSD
PCIe Workload Accelerator
34x more IOPs
24x more IOPs
16x greater bandwidth
6x greater bandwidth
81x lower latency
73x lower latency
MSFT SQL Server 2012/2014 (block storage)
MSFT SQL Server (byte-addressable storage)
Up to 2X faster
Up to 4X faster
Fastest SAS SSD in portfolio as of March 2016
Measured at application
Latency measurement is spending over 90% of time in software layers. As we improve software layers the latency difference will become more pronounced.
Latency measurement: Queue depth 1 w/ 4K random reads
IOPs: Queue depth 16 w/ 4K random reads
BW: Queue depth 4 w/ 1 million sequential reads

9. SQL2016 Tail of the Log Server configuration
1x HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen9 (both sockets populated)
1x NVDIMM-N (8 GB) – for the tail of the log
2x SATA SSD (400 GB) – as the store for database files
1x NVMe SSD (400 GB) – as the store for both logs
128 GB memory
Software
Windows Server 2016 TP5
SQL Server 2016 RC3
SQL tables are stored on 2x SATA SSDs that are striped (Simple Space)
SQL Tail of the Log enabled
Table size configured to match data and log storage capacities
Threads: 1 per Windows logical processor
SQL queries: Create, Insert, Update
SQL PerfCollectors: None
Batch size: 1
Row size: 32B
Higher is better
Lower is better
Executed tests and results :
05/19/2016: 2x with a HPE write-intensive NVMe SSD
05/06/2016: 3x with a mixed (vs. write-intensive) type NVMe SSD
June 2016: 4x with a SAS SSD

10. Support for persistent memory (NVDIMM)

11. SQL2016 Tail of Log

12. sp_configure 'automatic soft-NUMA disabled', 1
SQL Server now automatically generates soft NUMA partitioning.
ENABLED by default!
Previously required manual registry setup
HPE Hardware NUMA can outperform in some cases
please test it both ways.
Custom Soft NUMA is still possible via registry.
HOW TO DISABLE:
sp_configure ‘automatic soft-numa disabled’, “1”

13. Automatic Soft NUMA Over division!
sp_configure 'automatic soft-NUMA disabled', 1
Automatic Soft NUMA
Over division!

14. Setting SQL Database affinity to NUMA nodes
Nodes Bitmask Decimal value/Port definition
ALL NUMA nodes (0,1,2,3)
NUMA node
NUMA node
NUMA node
NUMA node
NUMA nodes 0,

15. Setting SQL Database affinity to NUMA nodes
How was the SSAS affinity done for BOD?

16. Automatic partitioning of tempdb
Generates 8 files automatically
Make sure you specify where these files go, not on the default c:\ of your database server
Options include local SSD, PCI Flash adapter, or flash mezzanine card (Blades) etc

17. Changes and new support for MAXDOP
Checktable, CheckDB, Checkfilegroup now have MAXDOP
Test for optimal MAXDOP
High MAXDOP is not always better on flash arrays
Instance and Database level MAXDOP
Online Index rebuild supports MAXDOP
Enterprise Edition

18. Query Store Powerful tool to capture and examine query plans
Plan history
Plan assignment

19. In-Memory database improvements
Capacity
Available memory is the new limit over older 250GB limit.
Peformance
In-memory column store index
provides Real Time
Operational Analytics

20. Legacy Performance Optimization areas (2016 and older)

21. NUMA Configuration Use Port affinity to set affinity to NUMA nodes
Up to 20% improvement on 4 socket
Use SQL Configuration manager to set TCP Port bitmask
Example [2]
Table 11. NUMA bitmasks Nodes Bitmask Decimal value used in Port definition
ALL NUMA nodes (0,1,2,3)
NUMA node
NUMA node
NUMA node
NUMA node
NUMA nodes 0,

22. NUMA Configuration

23. Memory Management
Size SQL Maximum memory to NO LESS than half your data+index sizes if possible.
Key improvements
Reduces read overhead on storage

24. Backups Use compression Use command line parameters: blocksize=65536,
maxtransfersize= ,
buffercount=XXX, depends on memory available.
Whoa!

25. Installation
Which version would you download?

26. Installation

27. In Summary

28. HPE Reference Architectures and Reference Configurations
HPE DL380 Reference configuration featuring persistent memory
Upcoming HPE DL580 Gen9 Reference Architecture
Older but still relevant Reference Architectures
SQL Server 2014 on HPE DL580 Gen8 and 3PAR StoreServ:
PLEASE on twitter for demos and sessions
Stop by and chat at the PASS 2016 HPE Booth
Questions:
Select word core should be present
-T9921 Trace flag for tail of the log.