May 18, 2010
Don’t Forget 24 Hours of PASS Kicks off Tommorow
This is going to be yet another truly awesome event and I wanted to remind you all not to miss out on such a fantastic FREE SQL Server Training opportunity! 24 Hours of PASS 2010
Apr 28, 2010
Top 5 Free SQL Server Tools
UPDATE: See the more recent post Top 10 Free SQL Server Tools Maybe there is no such thing as a free lunch but who cares when there are awesome tools for SQL Server that are available for free! That’s right, you can make life a whole lot easier for yourself by maximising your valuable time(…)
Apr 22, 2010
SQLBits VI – The inside scoop
Last Friday I was one of the lucky few to attend the completely free SQLBits VI! This was my first time attending SQLBits and for me the event turned out to be an incredibly valuable experience. The caliber of speakers on show was high and the content covered technically delicious, a real treat. For those that(…)
Apr 12, 2010
DBA Survival Skills – Think Defensively
No matter how much of a Super Hero DBA you consider yourself to be, I can guarantee you that there that there will come a time when you have to deal with either a disaster scenario or some form of mistake. Interestingly however, it is what happens next that separates the Pro’s from everyone else. Things Can(…)
Apr 6, 2010
TLC and SQL Server Error Log Management
One of the very first tasks I like to do when presented with a new SQL Server Instance is to review what’s been happening of late in the SQL Server Error Log file. Doing so can often provide a quick insight into items that require my attention. It’s not uncommon to encounter backup failure messages,(…)
Mar 10, 2010
SQL Snippet: Who owns that SQL Server Job?
Here is a handy T-SQL script that will list all SQL Server Agent Job owners by job. From an administration perspective, this query can come in handy when you need to ensure/validate the job owners on your server. One common mistake that I have seen is that when a user creates a new SQL Server(…)
Feb 5, 2010
Top 10 Junior DBA Interview Tips
The start of a new year is a time for self reflection and along with it perhaps a desire to do something new with your career. Maybe you are considering becoming a Junior Database Administrator (DBA)? Acquiring your very first role as a Junior DBA is no easy feat. Just browse any one of the(…)
Dec 30, 2009
SQL Snippet: What SQL Server Agent Jobs were running at that time?
Here is a SQL Snippet that can be used to identify the SQL Server Agent Jobs that were running on a server at a particular point in time. This can come in very handy if you need to troubleshoot a performance issue after the fact and want to find out if there were any jobs(…)
Dec 29, 2009
SQL Snippet: SQL Server Wait Types
Here is a handy little SQL Snippet that will return information about those all important SQL Server Wait Types for your server. It uses the SQL Server Dynamic Management View (DMV) sys.dm_os_wait_stats in order to extrapolate the desired information. A column has also been added to provide details of the percentage of total wait time(…)
Oct 15, 2009
Blog your way to becoming a better DBA
One of the most rewarding aspects of Blogging is that the content you share and publish has the potential to help others in your community but have you also considered that Blogging can actually make you a better DBA? You see the act of blogging itself provides a number of subtle benefits for your professional(…)
Sep 14, 2009
Article Published on SQL Server Central
I have just had my latest article published on SQL Server Central and so thought I would give it a shameless plug here. It is the first article in the SQL Server Essentials Series and discusses the principle skills, knowledge and ideals that I believe provide the core foundation of a SQL Server professional. I(…)
Sep 4, 2009
Why I beleive the Microsoft BI Stack seems unfinished
Simon Sabin shared a great post with the SQL Server Community recently where he asked Where is the intelligence in Business Intelligence? This really got me thinking and I wanted to share some further thoughts with you on the subject. To me it seems as if the Business Intelligence solution stack is only three quarters(…)
Aug 25, 2009
SQLBits Registration is now open
Registration for arguably the UK’s largest SQL Server event is now open. To guarantee you do not miss out be sure to reserve your interest by registering here.
Aug 10, 2009
SQL Server 2008 R2 CTP – Now available to download
That’s right, the Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 Community Technology Preview (CTP) is now available for download. SQL Server 2008 R2 CTP Go ahead and take a look at the preview. It’s a great chance to get a first look and experiment with some of the new features. Be sure to let me know how(…)
Aug 7, 2009
What do you think the future holds for database technology?
The good old Relational Database Management System (RDBMS) has been around for quite some time now and is still, certainly in my opinion, the mainstay of the majority of production platforms/software applications. Recently there seems to be a great deal of hype in the community regarding relatively young database technologies such as Cloud Services (SQL(…)
Jul 27, 2009
SQL Server Essentials – Part 2: Why you should be using the FULL Recovery Model
In Part 1 of the “SQL Server Essentials” series we discussed the Database Administrator’s primary responsibility. Given that your data is so important, how can you manage and ensure it’s safekeeping? Should a data loss event occur, you want to be in a position to enable you to protect the majority, if not all, of(…)
Jul 23, 2009
Win an all expenses paid trip to PASS 2009!
If you are like me and absolutely gutted that you cannot attend the PASS 2009 summit, then this could be just the ticket that you have been waiting for. Understandably if you live/work on the other side of the globe it is not exactly the most practical of away fixtures to attend and getting sign(…)
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