John Sansom - SQL Server DBA in the UK

Something for the Weekend – SQL Server Links 27/01/12

Jan 27th, 2012

No comments yet, your thoughts are welcome

I hope you’ve had a great week!

Don’t miss out on your weekly fix of SQL Server Links, community news and technology banter. Subscribe to the Blog Feed now to ensure you catch all posts. You can also receive posts via Email.

Here’s your weekly roundup of SQL Server Blog Posts, News and Techie Stuff. Enjoy!

SQL Server Links

Bad Habits to Kick : Using AS instead of = for column aliases - Are you guilty of this bad habit? Maybe you don’t even consider it to be a bad habit? Here’s Aaron Bertrand (Blog|Twitter) with his thoughts.
The 5 DBA Interview Questions You Have to Ask - Getting straight down to business, Thomas Larock (Blog|Twitter) tells you what you need to be asking to hire your next DBA.
Statistics and Recompilations - A really good piece of writing and a not so well known gem of knowledge here from Erin Stellato (Blog|Twitter).
Monitoring – Where to start? - Taking it to the next level, Service Level that is, it’s Mike Fal (Blog|Twitter) showing how you can lay the ground work for professional quality monitoring for your customers.
How It Works: sys.dm_tran_session_transactions - DMV internals insight from the CSS SQL Server Engineers (Blog).
DBAs and the Career-Life Balance - Striking the balance but how, asks Brad McGehee (Blog|Twitter).
How It Works: sys.dm_io_pending_io_requests - More DMV internals insights from the CSS SQL Server Engineers (Blog)
Understanding Database Choice - Adorning the consultant hat this week it’s Brent Ozar (Blog|Twitter), explaining why it is so important to consider the bigger picture in order to understand what’s really being asked.
Rebuild Your Indexes Online (When You Can) - Introduction? None required reader! More high calibre content from Michael J. Swart (Blog|Twitter).
Ten reasons to attend SQLBits X - That is apart from the opportunity to meet yours truly of course Here’s
Simon Sabin (Blog|Twitter) with the details.

UK SQL Server Upcoming Events

Use the SQL Server Event Calendar to keep informed of all upcoming SQL Server events, User Groups, and training opportunities here in the UK. You can also add this calendar alongside you existing Google calendar.

Misc Technology Posts

Have you read a post this week that you think deserves a mention? Be sure to let me and other readers know by leaving a comment. You can also reach me on email and find me on Twitter(@JohnSansom).

Have a great weekend!

Posted in: SQL Server Community.

Something for the Weekend – SQL Server Links 20/01/12

Jan 20th, 2012

by John Sansom.

2 comments

I hope you’ve had a great week!

Don’t miss out on your weekly fix of SQL Server Links, community news and technology banter. Subscribe to the Blog Feed now to ensure you catch all posts. You can also receive posts via Email.

Several weeks into January already then and it’s great to see that the SQL community is clearly back into the swing of things following the holidays, delivering a large variety of SQL content for your weekend reading pleasure. Forget SOPA, this week we’ve got PASS scandal, High Availability discussions, Lying DBAs, T-SQL Tips, XML Tricks, Query Plan insights and much more….

Here’s your weekly roundup of SQL Server Blog Posts, News and Techie Stuff. Enjoy!

SQL Server Links

Is Your DBA Lying To You? – If you’re not sure, then yes. If you’re convinced their not then they clearly are. Thomas Larock (Blog|Twitter) here with the truth of it.
Availability, Data Locality, and Peer-to-Peer Replication – Architectural discussions from Jeremiah Peschka (Blog|Twitter).
SQL Server Interview Questions and Answers – Book Review – Here with his review of the latest book offering from Pinal Dave (Blog|Twitter), it’s Brent Ozar (Blog|Twitter).
Including Missing Values in Data Ranges Without a Lookup Table – Why use the “stock answer” when there might be a better way. Robert L. Davis(Blog|Twitter) here with a T-SQL/reporting tip.
Dynamic Seeks and Hidden Implicit Conversions – Query Plan Internals and insights from Paul White (Blog|Twitter).
Let’s Get Recursive! – An excellent T-SQL walk-through of CTEs, courtesy of Matt Velic (Blog|Twitter).
Great SQL Server Debates: Buffer Cache Hit Ratio – In this excellent article over on Simple-Talk, Jonathan Kehayias (Blog|Twitter) explains exactly why the Buffer Cache Hit Ratio metric is just not as useful as you think it is.
Excluding nodes from XML data before returning from SQL Server – A handy coding tip from Adrian Hills (Blog|Twitter).
Is the problem with PASS, the community? – A fresh perspective on the matter then from Simon Sabin (Blog|Twitter).
Conor vs. SQL Azure Resource Usage – Learn how you can gain more insight into your SQLAzure solutions resource utilization from Connor Cunningham (Blog).
Backups and Disk Space – Are you accounting for all the storage that you really need for those database backups? Erin Stellato (Blog|Twitter) with an important reminder.
Does filing bugs on Microsoft Connect for SQL Server work? – A lot of community folks submit their bugs and feature suggestions for the product via Connect but just how effective is it? Sharing his thoughts, Jonathan Kehayias (Blog|Twitter).

UK SQL Server Upcoming Events

Misc Technology Posts

Have you read a post this week that you think deserves a mention? Be sure to let me and other readers know by leaving a comment. You can also reach me on email and find me on Twitter(@JohnSansom).

Have a great weekend!

Posted in: SQL Server Community.

Twitter and You

Jan 15th, 2012

by John Sansom.

6 comments

Twitter is a funny old thing. Not everyone can “get it”. For those lucky people that do, it can be a powerful and wonderful thing for you.

This post is part of the community blogging event #meme15 created by Jason Strate (Blog|Twitter), designed to encourage sql bloggers to write about blogging a.k.a Meta Blogging and Social Media. Why not join in and share your story?

Your relationship with Twitter is personal and unique to you. It can be many different things to so many different people. It really is what you make of it.

Some people just don’t get what all the fuss is about. They just can’t see the value in it for them. That’s because they themselves have yet to give anything to the community. They’re just looking to see what they can take from it and are probably asking themselves “What can Twitter do for me?”. If you give nothing, you can expect nothing in return.

For those that are genuinely open to what Twitter can be and are prepared to give a little of themselves at the same time, good for you, I think you’ll find just what it is that you are looking for.

Here are some of things that Twitter is to me:

A way to connect with people, to build new and exciting relationships.
A hive mind of learning, “the collective”. The processing power of many are able to work, collaborate and share thoughts on the same subject or problem. (#SQLHelp)
What’s the most talked about thing in the world, your town, your community right now? You can keep your finger on the pulse at whatever scale you choose using Trending topics.
An opportunity to be a part of communities that can be both niche and global.
A platform to share, to help others to learn and grow.
The ability to connect with these communities from almost anywhere in the world and at any time.

Not sure how to get started using Twitter? Fellow SQL Server Data Professional and prolific blogger Brent Ozar (Blog|Twitter) wrote an entire eBook(The Simple Twitter Book) on the subject that you may want to check out.

I’d love to hear about your thoughts and views on Twitter. What is Twitter for you?

Posted in: SQL Server Community.
Tagged: #meme15

Something for the Weekend – SQL Server Links 13/01/12

Jan 13th, 2012

by John Sansom.

2 comments

I hope you’ve had a great week!

Don’t miss out on your weekly fix of SQL Server Links, community news and technology banter. Subscribe to the Blog Feed now to ensure you catch all posts. You can also receive posts via Email.

Here’s your weekly roundup of SQL Server Blog Posts, News and Techie Stuff. Enjoy!

SQL Server Links

Comparing multiple plans in SQL Sentry Plan Explorer - I like using this tool a lot! These handy productivity tips from Aaron Bertrand (Blog|Twitter) can help you get even more benefit from this fantastic free utility.
SQL Server Can Run Databases from Network Shares & NAS - The NAS for SQL Server debate continues then, courtesy of Brent Ozar (Blog|Twitter). Following on from recent developments, is the technology now a serious consideration for the DBA?
How To Improve DB Performance Without Changing Code - Bold claims from Thomas Larock (Blog|Twitter). Read on to discover the truth of the matter.
T-SQL Tuesday #26 : Second Chances - Aaron Bertrand (Blog|Twitter) expanding on his choice of previous topic from the theme.
Anatomy of the SQL Server Database: Settings and Secrets Video - More high quality education from the PLF Team and in particular Kendra Little (Blog|Twitter) in this video.
Database Mirroring From SQL Server 2005 to SQL Server 2008 R2 SP1 CU3 - Some hardcore DBA administrative efforts on show from Glenn Berry (Blog|Twitter). Success is all about planning!
Choosing the right professional - Some good advice direct from the bed of Richard Douglas (Blog|Twitter). I’ve also talked about the importance of communication and Outstanding DBA Customer Service. Get well soon sir.
Top Ten Operational Mistakes at SNESSUG - I’m dissapointed that I was not able to attend this presentation from Mike Hilwig (Blog|Twitter) however the good man has made his deck available for you to learn from.
Lazy Restore Commands - An excellent victory in the campaign to automate everything from Mike Fal (Blog|Twitter).
Database Backups: Things You Need To Do Now - Just in case you did not know already, Grant Fritchey (Blog|Twitter) will set you straight this week. There’s also some funny(so long as they don’t happen to you) DR stories in the comments.
APPLY – not exactly set-based - I really enjoyed the posts on this subject from Rob Farley (Blog|Twitter) the last time around and so with the opportunity to learn even more T-SQL wizardry here, you won’t want to miss out.

UK SQL Server Upcoming Events

Misc Technology Posts

Have you read a post this week that you think deserves a mention? Be sure to let me and other readers know by leaving a comment. You can also reach me on email and find me on Twitter(@JohnSansom).

Have a great weekend!

Posted in: SQL Server Community.

What I Will Do For You in 2012

Jan 9th, 2012

by John Sansom.

No comments yet, your thoughts are welcome

Many of you have first hand experience of our phenomenal sql community (affectionately labelled the #sqlfamily).

Your first encounter with it may have been quite subtle. Perhaps you were surprised by the generosity and willingness with which help can be found? Maybe it was that first SQL Saturday you attended? However you first experienced the power of the community, one thing is for sure and that is the spark which it ignites within you. You felt the buzz, experienced the camaraderie and could taste that there was more, a whole lot more, to this sql stuff. Something great and you wanted a slice of the action.

For those new to the event, #mememonday is the community creation of Thomas LaRock (Blog|Twitter), the driving force of which is to encourage the SQL community to put virtual pen to paper. This months theme “What do you want to do for your #sqlfamily in 2012?”

Successful communities are about relationships. All good relationships need a healthy balance of give and take in order to really flourish. Taking from the community is the easy bit! Maybe you attended a free webinar or the free community day at SQLBits where all the speakers generously give their expertise and time solely for your benefit. Maybe you read a blog post that showed you how to resolve your issue, or perhaps a flurry of experts promptly answered your query on Twitter(#SQLHELP). I bet if you think about it, you’ve probably taken quite a bit from the community. I know I sure have.

Here’s what I will be doing to give back to our #sqlfamily, what I will do for you in 2012.

Reply to ALL of your emails – I will continue to reply to all of your emails. To answer your queries and to provide the advice you seek. Although I can’t vouch for the quality of said advice I will always give you my genuine and honest opinion. Sometimes, with your permission of course, I share your emails and my replies to them here on the blog.
Say Thank You More – I endeavour to show gratitude, to appreciate and to thank my fellow family members more. It requires such a tiny amount of effort to say thank you to a forum reply, in a blog post comment or a to send a quick email note but it means such a great deal more to it’s recipient.
Blog SQL Differently – Blogging about SQL Server often means content with a technical focus. It does not always have to be though! There’s so much more than “T-SQL Tips” and “How To” blog posts. I promise to continue to Blog, to share my honest thoughts and opinions with our family. To continue to attack topics that others have yet to challenge. To look at things differently and to share content that is fresh, unique and different.
Be A Forum Champion – One of my favourite ways to share with our #sqlfamily is through the various sql forums, particularly MSDN and Stackoverflow. To be a trusted voice that takes pride in not only answering your questions but doing so in polite and courteous fashion. Forum etiquette has been loitering around in the dumps of late in my view(maybe a post is needed on this) and the best way to clean it up is to lead by example, to champion the cause.

The very best thing about our #sqlfamily is that it keeps on giving. Let’s make sure it stays that way! What do you want to do for your #sqlfamily in 2012?

Subscribe to the blog feed to receive exclusive posts direct to your favourite RSS Reader or via Email.

Posted in: SQL Server Community, SQLServerCentral Syndication, SQLServerPedia Syndication.

Something for the Weekend – SQL Server Links 06/01/12

Jan 6th, 2012

by John Sansom.

1 comment

I hope you’ve had a great week!

Don’t miss out on your weekly fix of SQL Server Links, community news and technology banter. Subscribe to the Blog Feed now to ensure you catch all posts. You can also receive posts via Email.

Here’s your weekly roundup of SQL Server Blog Posts, News and Techie Stuff. Enjoy!

SQL Server Links

Implementing SQL Server solutions using Visual Studio 2010 Database Projects - An impressive collection of experience and insight packed into this article for you, courtesy of Jamie Thomson(Blog|Twitter).
DBA Survivor: Learning how to rock out with databases - This title from Thomas LaRock has been available for some time now but it’s something I consider a classic for the well rounded DBA. Here’s Mike Fal (Blog|Twitter) with his thoughts on the book.
The Art of the Execution Plan - Proof that being a DBA really is a beautiful thing, it’s Brent Ozar (Blog|Twitter).
Survey results: How cluster key size can lead to GBs of wasted space - Sharing the results of his latest community survey, I give you Paul Randal (Blog|Twitter).
Forcing a Parallel Query Execution Plan - More fascinating query plan internals Paul White (Blog|Twitter)
DO YOU MAKE THESE 5 DATABASE DESIGN MISTAKES? - Thomas Larock (Blog|Twitter)
Conor vs. SQL Azure/SQL Server 2012 - Find out whether or not your existing databases are compatable with what can be hosted right now on SQLAzure, courtesy of Connor Cunningham (Blog).
Notes on Scalability - Discussions of scale from Jeremiah Peschka (Blog|Twitter).

UK SQL Server Upcoming Events

Misc Technology Posts

Have you read a post this week that you think deserves a mention? Be sure to let me and other readers know by leaving a comment. You can also reach me on email and find me on Twitter(@JohnSansom).

Have a great weekend!

Posted in: SQL Server Community.

Start 2012 with Your Best of 2011

Jan 3rd, 2012

by John Sansom.

3 comments

The first week following on from the Christmas break is a very hectic one for us Data Professionals.

Your customers are keen to get straight back to business immediately and get the year off to the best possible start, meaning your skills and services will be in high demand. To help ensure you get your year off to a fantastic start take a look at some of these:

For blog authors the end of one year and the beginning of another provides the opportunity for review of what worked and what didn’t. It’s always interesting to see which posts proved the most popular, surprisingly often not what we expect to do well. In a twisted sense of irony it’s often those posts that we blog authors think are great pieces of writing that often tend to sink like lead balloons. Thankfully we are occasionally saved by the Google traffic gods and the magical content that just continues to pull in the traffic year after year, what bloggers worship and call Pillar Content. On to the content already then…….

Here’s what you enjoyed reading the most from the blog in 2011:

The most enjoyable part of the whole blogging gig is being able to share the awesomeness of SQL community with all of you folks reading this right now. You honestly really are what makes our community a great thing to be a part of. This year I hope to meet many more of you in person.

Thank you and I wish you the very best for the New Year!

Posted in: Blogging, Professional Development, SQL Server Community, SQLServerCentral Syndication, SQLServerPedia Syndication.

Something for the Weekend – SQL Server Links 23/12/11

Dec 23rd, 2011

by John Sansom.

No comments yet, your thoughts are welcome

I hope you’ve had a great ~~week~~ year!

Don’t miss out on your weekly fix of SQL Server Links, community news and technology banter. Subscribe to the Blog Feed now to ensure you catch all posts. You can also receive posts via Email.

Keeping things short and sweet for this weeks round-up then as we’ve all got final preparations to get done and families to go to. I’m sure many of you are either already on vacation or today is your final day before heading off for the holiday weekend. If you’re on call I empathise with you and hope that we have a very quiet few days

Whatever you get up to I wish you a very Merry Christmas and I hope you have a fantastic holiday. Thanks for reading and I’ll see you next year. Cheers!

Here’s your weekly roundup of SQL Server Blog Posts, News and Techie Stuff. Enjoy!

Wishing you a Merry Christmas!

SQL Server Links

Undocumented Gotchas of Transactional Replication - Robert L. Davis(Blog|Twitter)
7 Mistakes You Can’t Afford To Make When Upgrading to SQL 2012 - Thomas Larock (Blog|Twitter)
SQL Server 2012 Diagnostic Information Queries (December 2011) - Glenn Berry (Blog|Twitter)
2011 Blog Post Wrap Up - Denny Cherry (Blog|Twitter)
Silent CPU Killers - Jeremiah Peschka (Blog|Twitter)
12 Things You Should Stop Doing in 2012 - Thomas Larock (Blog|Twitter)
Using Dynamic Values in XMLA - Robert L. Davis(Blog|Twitter)
A faster CHECKDB – Part I - CSS SQL Server Engineers (Blog)
Consulting Lines: SQL Server Needs a Dog - Brent Ozar (Blog|Twitter)

UK SQL Server Upcoming Events

Misc Technology Posts

Have you read a post this week that you think deserves a mention? Be sure to let me and other readers know by leaving a comment. You can also reach me on email and find me on Twitter(@JohnSansom).

Have a fantastic holiday weekend and I will see you next year!

Posted in: SQL Server Community.

Something for the Weekend – SQL Server Links 16/12/11

Dec 16th, 2011

by John Sansom.

No comments yet, your thoughts are welcome

I hope you’ve had a great week!

Don’t miss out on your weekly fix of SQL Server Links, community news and technology banter. Subscribe to the Blog Feed now to ensure you catch all posts. You can also receive posts via Email.

Here’s your weekly roundup of SQL Server Blog Posts, News and Techie Stuff. Enjoy!

SQL Server Links

Merge Replication – Parameterized Filters - There’s a noticeable shortage of SQL Server Replication related blog content out there for the discerning DBA and Ted Krueger (Blog|Twitter) is helping to change that!
Help Your SQL Family Give Even More - Encouraging you to get involved and make a difference, it’s Thomas Larock (Blog|Twitter) with thoughts on #SQLFamily.
Jeff Moden: DBA of the Day - OK so this is not strictly a blog post but it is an awesome piece of content that’s for sure. Those that have been involved in the sql community for some time will know that Jeff Moden has been around for just as long . He’s a legend over on SQL Server Central and this makes for some very good reading on what being an Exceptional DBA is all about.
T-SQL Tips ‘n’ Tricks - This months T-SQL Tuesday theme was all about doing cool stuff with you guessed it, T-SQL. Aaron Bertrand (Blog|Twitter) then with his tips.
Great SQL Server Debates: Lock Pages in Memory - The debate continues as Jonathan Kehayias (Blog|Twitter) explains. If you’re involved with configuring SQL instances you really should read this.
A T-SQL Tip: Working calculations - Continuing the theme, Rob Farley (Blog|Twitter) shares his Tips n’ Tricks.
Coping with Change Control Video - Ah the source of many a great argument between DEV and DBA, Jeremiah Peschka (Blog|Twitter) from the PLF team shares this video with us.
Does the Role of the DBA Need to Evolve?- There’s a lot of discussion about this subject in the community right now (in fact @ChrisAdkin8 and I were talking about this earlier in the week) which is great! It means we’re thinking about and planning for the future. Brad McGehee (Blog|Twitter) here then with his thoughts. I’ll probably be throwing my hat in the ring and taking on this subject in a future post. What do you think?
Helping to make Hadoop easier by going Metro! - Get your hands on the CTP for Azure with Hadoop courtesy of Microsoft SQLCAT (Blog).

UK SQL Server Upcoming Events

Misc Technology Posts

Have you read a post this week that you think deserves a mention? Be sure to let me and other readers know by leaving a comment. You can also reach me on email and find me on Twitter(@JohnSansom).

Have a great weekend!

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Posted in: SQL Server Community.

Why Did You Start Blogging?

Dec 15th, 2011

by John Sansom.

5 comments

That’s easy, because Brent Ozar (Blog|Twitter) challenged me to……

Finding time to keep up with awesome blog content can be tough. Let me make it easy for you! Join over 500 SQL Server Professionals who already enjoy my roundup of the very best SQL blog content each week, delivered direct to your Inbox or favourite RSS Reader.

It all started back in the good ole days. A time when there was a Blogging revolution brewing within the SQL community. Tired of the dry and dull technical content that was being shared at the time, a few brave bloggers were daring to do things differently. It was a time for heroes, like SQLBatman (what ever happened to that guy ) who were not afraid to step up and do what it takes. They were here to save us, to give us something that had been missing from SQL blog content, a bit of fun!

Seeing these brave new characters in action was inspiring. They had shown the community that there was a different, more engaging way to blog and best of all they were having a great time doing it! Their enthusiasm was infectious and soon after other sql bloggers began to appear, joining in the revolution.

Not content with just sharing their awesome content though, these innovative sql bloggers began to blog about blogging, a phenomena known as Meta Blogging. Brent Ozar in particular I recall was sharing close to a complete guide on how to blog for sql bloggers, right down to details like choosing your domain name, WordPress optimization, Plug-Ins and the like. He was throwing the down the gauntlet against boring sql content and rallying for others to join the cause. It was the kick up the backside the community had needed and answer the community did!

Don’t underestimate the positive influence that these community champions have had. I’ve yet to attend a community event where I did not meet a fellow sql blogger that had started their journey because they were inspired by these folks.

I first started blogging because I was inspired to do so. I blog now because I am continually inspired to do so by our awesome community. That however is a tale for another day………….

This post is part of the community blogging event #meme15 created by Jason Strate (Blog|Twitter), designed to encourage sql bloggers to write about blogging a.k.a Meta Blogging. Why not join in and share your story?

Posted in: Blogging, Professional Development, SQLServerCentral Syndication, SQLServerPedia Syndication.

John Sansom SQL Server DBA in the UK

Something for the Weekend – SQL Server Links 27/01/12

SQL Server Links

UK SQL Server Upcoming Events

Misc Technology Posts

Something for the Weekend – SQL Server Links 20/01/12

SQL Server Links

UK SQL Server Upcoming Events

Misc Technology Posts

Twitter and You

Something for the Weekend – SQL Server Links 13/01/12

SQL Server Links

UK SQL Server Upcoming Events

Misc Technology Posts

What I Will Do For You in 2012

Something for the Weekend – SQL Server Links 06/01/12

SQL Server Links

UK SQL Server Upcoming Events

Misc Technology Posts

Start 2012 with Your Best of 2011

Something for the Weekend – SQL Server Links 23/12/11

SQL Server Links

UK SQL Server Upcoming Events

Misc Technology Posts

Something for the Weekend – SQL Server Links 16/12/11

SQL Server Links

UK SQL Server Upcoming Events

Misc Technology Posts

Why Did You Start Blogging?

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