Audit. The very word strikes fear in the bravest of hearts. But as a DBA, the need to know who is doing what in your production databases is critical. In SQL Server 2008, Microsoft finally gave us a true auditing tool. But how does it work, what exactly can it track, and how can you handle its output? In this session, we cover SQL Server Audit from the ground up. We go from the basics of which events can be audited to a look at how SQL Server Audit works "under the covers", and what that means for performance. While implementing server and database audits, we discuss audit granularity and filtering, as well as the pros and cons of Audit's output options. Whether it's through the SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) interface, via T-SQL, or using PowerShell and Server Management Objects (SMO), at the end of this session you'll be able to deploy SQL Server Audit across your enterprise and manage its output, fearlessly.
PASS Summit 2015