Mastering SQL Server Audits: From Native Capabilities to Enterprise-Grade Compliance | Uwe Ricken

SQL Server auditing can tell you who accessed what, when changes happened, and where activity deserves a closer look. But getting the configuration right, controlling overhead, and producing useful audit records takes some planning. Join Microsoft Certified Master and SQL Server MVP Uwe Ricken for a practical, demo-driven walkthrough of native SQL Server auditing, from server-level and database-level configurations to filtering, log analysis, and real-world compliance challenges. What you'll learn: - Native SQL Server auditing: Understand SQL Server Audit, Extended - --- Events, and SQL Trace, including their benefits and limitations. - Audit configuration: Create server-level and database-level audit specifications using T-SQL, and configure audit storage, retention, and failure settings. - Activity monitoring: Capture successful and failed logins, configuration changes, and access to sensitive database objects. - Audit log analysis: Read and interpret SQL Server audit files using T-SQL and sys.fn_get_audit_file. - Performance considerations: Understand how audit volume, filtering, and storage settings affect SQL Server performance. - Security and compliance: Explore separation of duties, privileged-user auditing, and the challenges of meeting GDPR and other regulatory requirements. - Real-world demonstrations: See how Uwe approaches a customer requirement to audit privileged users while respecting restrictions on monitoring ordinary users. Uwe also discusses where native SQL Server auditing reaches its limits and when third-party auditing solutions may be worth considering. ### Explore SQL Server Compliance Native SQL Server auditing provides a strong starting point, but more complex compliance requirements can call for additional capabilities. Idera SQL Compliance Manager helps you monitor database activity, audit privileged users, manage audit policies, and generate reports across your SQL Server environment. **Explore SQL Compliance Manager:** https://www.idera.com/products/sql-compliance-manager/ **Try SQL Compliance Manager free:** https://www.idera.com/products/sql-compliance-manager/free-trial/ ⏱️ Chapters 00:00 - Introduction to SQL Server Auditing with Uwe Ricken 01:35 - What You'll Learn About SQL Server Audits 03:40 - Why SQL Server Auditing Matters for Compliance 05:36 - Native SQL Server Audit: Benefits and Limitations 09:27 - Extended Events vs. SQL Server Audit 11:21 - Why SQL Trace and Profiler Aren't Suitable for Auditing 12:28 - Separation of Duties in SQL Server Auditing 14:18 - When to Use Third-Party SQL Server Auditing Tools 17:18 - How SQL Server Audit Architecture Works 19:00 - Server Audit vs. Database Audit Specifications 21:30 - How to Choose What to Audit in SQL Server 23:52 - How to Configure SQL Server Audit with T-SQL 27:49 - How to Organize SQL Server Audit Files 29:12 - Audit File Size, Retention, and Performance Settings 31:33 - Queue Delay and Audit Failure Configuration 35:46 - How to Create Server Audit Specifications 40:41 - Testing Successful and Failed Login Auditing 42:15 - How to Read and Interpret SQL Server Audit Logs 45:53 - Query Audit Files with sys.fn_get_audit_file 51:35 - Q&A: Filtering and Exporting SQL Server Audit Data 55:10 - How to Audit SQL Server Configuration Changes 58:38 - How to Configure Database-Level Auditing 1:05:44 - Auditing Privileged Users for GDPR Compliance 1:08:21 - Filtering Audit Data by Sysadmin Role Membership 1:10:23 - Final Q&A and Closing Remarks 1:11:02 - SQL Compliance Manager Overview 1:12:34 - What's New in SQL Diagnostic Manager 14.3 1:14:50 - SQL Server Monitoring and Compliance Free Trials