Taking Snapshots of Databases on VMFS Datastores
Hey friends - hopefully you all are taking advantage of our snapshots for copy data management? Well, those of you who use VMDKs know that there's an extra headache thanks to the VMFS datastore layer. Fortunately, I've just published some new examples in our Github repository and have written up a solution overview on my blog! Check it out! https://sqlbek.wordpress.com/2026/01/08/taking-snapshots-of-databases-on-vmfs-datastores/ Github: Refresh VMFS VMDK(s) with Snapshot Point in Time Recovery – VMFSPure Report Podcast: Databases!!!
Catch up with Anthony Nocentino on the latest episode of the Pure Report podcast where we dive into trends in database operations and the impact of AI on DBA roles - plus how new Pure platform announcements and Fusion drive better efficiency and performance for SQL Server and Oracle. Anthony tackles the pressing challenges faced by database environments today, including fragmented storage infrastructure, manual provisioning, and the complexities of compliance, disaster recovery, and hybrid cloud strategies. He sheds light on how these issues contribute to real-world burnout among DBAs and infra team members. The discussion will also cover the evolving roles of these professionals as they increasingly become platform performance engineers, cloud strategists, and data ops troubleshooters in a world of multiple database engines and unpredictable resource needs driven by AI workloads.
Using FlashArray Volume Snapshots with Microsoft SQL Server
FlashArray volume snapshots are an amazing tool for any DBA/DBRE managing SQL Server. You can use them to: Instantly recover from user errors or ransomware attacks Create rapid dev/test copies without full restores Offload CHECKDB to another host to avoid production performance hits Refresh reporting environments on demand Seed Always On availability groups faster, without large full backups Enable point-in-time recovery when paired with SQL log backups And the best part? Snapshots on FlashArray are: Immutable Space-efficient Fast to create and restore Fully automatable through the REST API or SDK tools! I worked very closely with our SQL Server field super stars (Anthony Nocentino, Andrew Pruski and Andrew Yun) on a white paper going VERY deep into the architecture and how to. It includes everything from crash- vs. application-consistent snapshots, to step-by-step restore and cloning procedures, to using SQL Server 2022’s new T-SQL snapshot backup. Did we miss anything ? Let us know!
