SFTW - John Sansom

Enjoy Quality SQL Server Content the Easy Way

There’s so much brilliant SQL Server content being shared every day that it can feel impossible and overwhelming trying to keep up with it all.

Each week I share my personal pick of the best SQL Server content from around the web, ensuring you are able to get right to the good stuff fast.

Make sure you get to enjoy the latest quality SQL Server content by Subscribing to receive my Something for Weekend posts direct to your e-mail inbox each week absolutely free.

Missed a previous weeks posts? No problem. Below you will find all previous editions of Something for the Weekend. Enjoy!

Mar 9, 2012

Something for the Weekend – SQL Server Links 09/03/12

I hope you’ve had a great week!

Make sure you get to enjoy my round-up of SQL Server Links, community news and technology banter every week. Subscribe to the Blog Feed now. You can also receive posts via Email.

The big news this week was not the launch of the iPad 3 but instead the news that SQL Server 2012 went RTM. On Wednesday Microsoft held the SQL Server 2012 Virtual Launch Event to mark the occasion. There was so much interest in the event that it actually brought the website down. There’s still time for you to catch the keynote, enjoy all the other sessions from the event and enter various competitions so be sure to take a look over the weekend.

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

SQL Server Links

How valuable are certifications? - No, not the standard rant we have come to expect on certifications but instead a sensible commentary on the matter. Here with his thoughts is Paul Randal (Blog|Twitter).
How To Decide if You Should Use Table Partitioning - More advice from the PLF consulting crew, Kendra Little (Blog|Twitter) your host.
SQL Server 2012 – True Black Box Recorder - With all the SQL 2012 hype this week it’s not surprising that some cool features could get overlooked. Here those clever CSS SQL Server Engineers (Blog) share with us the details of a little known feature they’re currently excited about.
Microsoft Launches SQL 2012 – It Ain’t Nothing But a House Party - Thomas Larock (Blog|Twitter) on this weeks party that took a while to get started.
You guys still use SQL Server 2000? Really? - Some very interesting examples of client usage scenarios here courtesy of Paul Randal (Blog|Twitter) in his 2nd contribution of the week.
How to Get Your First Job as A Database Administrator - There’s been a lot of interest in the community recently, having received a number of reader emails myself on the subject. Kendra Little (Blog|Twitter) discusses in this video.
Microsoft JDBC Driver 4.0 for SQL Server Released! - Impress the Developers in your shop by showing you’ve got your finger on the technology pulse, thanks to the Microsoft JDBC Team (Blog).
SQL Server 2012 Extended Events Update – 3 – Viewing Target Data - The accessibility of XEvents has been given an overhaul in SQL 2012. Make sure you can take full advantage by reading up, here with part 3 of his excellent series it’s Jonathan Kehayias (Blog|Twitter).
SQL Server Database Mirroring (Not Dead Yet) - Discussing why there’s still life left in the old boy, it’s Glenn Berry (Blog|Twitter).
Isolation Levels and the Effects on Select Statements - An excellent explanation of this often tricky subject, as well as some pretty pictures, it’s Erin Stellato (Blog|Twitter).

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!

By John Sansom Link Posts No comments

Mar 2, 2012

Something for the Weekend – SQL Server Links 02/03/12

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

Why people think some SQL Server 2000 behaviors live on… 12 years later - An interesting look at an often misunderstood behaviour this week from Aaron Bertrand (Blog|Twitter).
Looking at External Disk Performance using USB 3.0 and eSATA with SSD - Building your own portable SQL lab, then you’ll most certainly want to read this. Jonathan Kehayias (Blog|Twitter) shares the results of his latest performance benchmarks and I think you will be surprised by the results.
Why We Follow Best Practices - Well because it’s the best of course duh. Robert L. Davis(Blog|Twitter) discusses why Best Practices are just the beginning and shares how he likes to tailor guidance dependant on the audience.
How to Get Money From Managers Video - It’s that time of year where you want to start booking training and Brent Ozar (Blog|Twitter) shares some advice on how to get buy-in from management.
SQL Server 2008/2008 R2 Diagnostic Queries for March 2012 - Make sure you’re using the latest version of these excellent scripts from Glenn Berry (Blog|Twitter).
What’s Stopping You – from Snooping? - Do you have a guilty concious? Of course not! As Data Professionals we all know that the value of our data assets and to respect them. Brent Ozar (Blog|Twitter) discusses.
TOP 3 THINGS YOU SHOULD LEARN IN SQL 2012 - Looking ahead to the release of SQL 2012 later this year, Thomas Larock (Blog|Twitter) shares what you should be looking at now in order to get ahead.
Achieving Good Performance is More Than Tuning Queries and Indexes - Achieving truly good performance requires a deeper understanding of the “black box” explains Allan Hirt (Blog|Twitter).
Why Availability Groups Make It Cool Again to Be a Sysadmin - As is we were not all cool enough already Kendra Little (Blog|Twitter) explains how SQL2012 is going to unlock the inner sysadmin in us all once more.

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!

By John Sansom Link Posts, SQL Server Community No comments

Feb 24, 2012

Something for the Weekend – SQL Server Links 24/02/12

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 in the UK we like to do things a little bit different and so this coming week we are going to dispel one of the biggest single myths of all time! The myth that “That there is no such thing as a free lunch”. Instead of enjoying the delights of BBC News this Tuesday lunchtime, get yourself down to the Golden Fleece (EC4N 1SP) for SQLLunch where Patrick LeBlank will be presenting – Introduction to SQL Server 2012 AlwaysOn. Do something productive with your lunch hour and take advantage of some free SQL Server training right on your doorstep. It’s a great opportunity to get involved with the community, catch up with your favourite SQL Server folks and get a break away from the office. See you there!

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

SQL Server Links

Statistics and Recompilations, Part II - With Part 2 of her excellent look at this subject it’s Erin Stellato (Blog|Twitter).
Where to Run DBCC on AlwaysOn Availability Groups - Running CHECKDB on a large database can be a real administrative pain. Brent Ozar (Blog|Twitter) considers how you might want to go about doing this in SQL 2012.
Will sql server 2012s availability groups replace clustered instances - I’ve been getting this question a lot from the management folks myself and to be honest there’s not an easy answer. Here’s what SQL Server HA expert Allan Hirt (Blog|Twitter) has to say on the matter.
STILL USING WINDOWS LOGINS FOR YOUR DATABASES? YOU’RE DOING IT WRONG - Bold words from Thomas Larock (Blog|Twitter) this week as he questions your security practices.
SQL on SSDs: Hot and Crazy Love - Here with another video for you to enjoy, this time looking at SSDs it’s Brent Ozar (Blog|Twitter).
A faster CHECKDB – Part II - CHECKDB seems to be a hot topic this week and the CSS SQL Server Engineers (Blog) have been busy working on the performance of this feature.
Variable enhancements in RC0 [SSIS] - Keeping us informed of what’s to come for SSIS in SQL 2012 both big and small it’s Jamie Thomson(Blog|Twitter). If you work with SSIS you need to Subscribe to his blog, simples.

UK SQL Server Upcoming Events

Misc Technology Posts

On Business Madness
Apple iPad sale ban case suspended for now in Shanghai
VirtualBox Networking
Meetings: Where Work Goes to Die <- I need to send some of my work here to die that’s for sure…

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!

By John Sansom Link Posts, SQL Server Community 1 Comment

Feb 17, 2012

Something for the Weekend – SQL Server Links 17/02/12

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

Curing the Database-Application mismatch – The debate continues in this philosophical discussion from Phil Factor(Blog|Twitter). Too much for a Friday? Of course not, enjoy!
How To: Submit An Item To Microsoft Connect – Submitting a Connect item is a sort of right of passage for a DBA. Doing so means you either found a bug, are pushing the limits of the product or doing stuff that you’re not supposed to. For all these cases and more here’s Thomas Larock (Blog|Twitter) with a video on how you can submit an item to Connect.
SQL Server 2012 Extended Events Update – 2 – The SSMS UI Part 2 – Continuing his post series looking at Extended Events in SQL 2012 it’s Jonathan Kehayias (Blog|Twitter).
Three Things You Should Never Say in a Technical Interview – “You currently do WHAT to your database?” Kendra Little (Blog|Twitter) with some advice on how not to flunk your next job interview.
Careful Hashing – A cautionary tale this week from Michael J. Swart (Blog|Twitter).
Stop Automatically Updating Production Servers – Imploring you this week, to heed his words of wisdom, it’s Allan Hirt (Blog|Twitter).
Cloud Computing Patterns: Using Data Transaction Commitment Models for Design – With his head now firmly in the Cloud it’s Buck Woody (Blog|Twitter) sharing more design discussions.
SQL AZURE LOST ITS LEASE! EVERYTHING MUST GO! – Brent Ozar (Blog|Twitter) sharing why SQL Azure just got a little bit more attractive.
SQL SERVER – Be Different – Be Leader – An Interactive Journey – This post from Pinal Dave (Blog|Twitter) really caught my attention because not only is it a great thought piece but it’s something a little different for the man to share with us.
An Introduction to SQL Server Clusters – An excellent explanation of this SQL Server technology feature, as well as some pretty pictures for all the slow folks, courtesy of Kendra Little (Blog|Twitter).
Professionals have standards – Actually some of us have no standards whatsoever, a discussions for another time perhaps, right now it’s Mike Fal (Blog|Twitter) with some very important advice concerning your documentation (or rather that stuff you were planning to get around to writing eventually).

UK SQL Server Upcoming Events

Misc Technology Posts

On Business Madness – I really enjoyed reading this and imagine you might too. It was brought to my attention courtesy of some chap called Phil Factor.
Patents: Apple wins over Motorola in ‘slide-to-unlock’ ruling
Oracle claims 70X speed-up with MySQL Cluster 7.2

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!

By John Sansom Link Posts, SQL Server Community No comments

Feb 10, 2012

Something for the Weekend – SQL Server Links 10/02/12

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

Microsoft Model Databases: Some Unconventional Alternatives? – Taking a closer look at some of the playgrounds we all know and love, it’s Michael J. Swart (Blog|Twitter).
Webcast Recording – DBA Darwin Awards: Index Edition – Brent Ozar (Blog|Twitter)
The Minimalist Guide To Database Administration – Combining philosophy with being a DBA this week from Thomas Larock (Blog|Twitter).
Excuse me sir, are you using that partition? – This gentleman has been churning out some excellent content on a regular basis of late. Definitely one to add to your RSS Reader, it’s Mike Fal (Blog|Twitter).
Code to list potential cluster key space savings per table – Performance tuning opportunities for your databases, courtesy of Paul Randal (Blog|Twitter).
How to Test Your Backup Strategy: Five Simple Questions – Kendra Little (Blog|Twitter) helping you to keep your most important assets safe.
Network Binding Order Warning during SQL Server Failover Cluster Setup – A handy tip prompted from Jonathan Kehayias (Blog|Twitter).
Building or Buying a Desktop Based Development and Test Database Server – I’m looking into building out a new home lab right now so this excellent post from Glenn Berry (Blog|Twitter) provides timely advice indeed!
Three Consulting Tools to Make You a Better DBA – Proving that there’s a heck of lot more to being a DBA, this week Kendra Little (Blog|Twitter) encourages you to wear the consultants hat to raise your game.
Survey: memory configuration – Make sure you get involved in the latest survey from Paul Randal (Blog|Twitter).
Executing scripts with sp_addscriptexec – I do a lot of Replication administration and so I was shocked that I did not know about this! An excellent tip brought to our attention courtesy of Brandon Williams (Blog|Twitter).
Analysis Services Thread Pool Changes in SQL Server 2012 – These changes are going to be welcomed with open arms by our SSAS users. Here’s the CSS SQL Server Engineers (Blog) with the details.

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!

By John Sansom Link Posts, SQL Server Community 2 Comments

Feb 3, 2012

Something for the Weekend – SQL Server Links 03/02/12

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

Hey App, quit wasting my time sorting your data – Every once in a while it’s good to have a bit of rant. Sprinkle it with a smidgen of humour, like Rob Sullivan(Blog|Twitter) and your definitely on to a winner. Preach on brother!
Bad Habits to Kick : Thinking a WHILE loop isn’t a CURSOR – The man just keeps informing us of our wrong doing but for our own good of course. Here’s Aaron Bertrand (Blog|Twitter).
SQL SERVER TABLE COLUMNS UNDER THE HOOD – I have a confession to make, I missed an awesome post for the roundup from some time ago. I know right! A fascinating look at some database engine internals from Remus Rusanu (Blog|Twitter).
What IP are you listening on SQL – Sure there are a lot of ways you can do this but how would you get it done across a large number of instances? Using a little PowerShell magic of course. Here with the fairy dust it’s Amit Banerjee (Blog|Twitter).
A Temporary Configuration – Continuing the crusade for automation and sharing a script for us to play this week it’s Mike Fal (Blog|Twitter).
Execution Plans, What Do I Look At? – Given the man has written a number of publications on the subject this is information gold. Grant Fritchey (Blog|Twitter) sharing how he gets the job done.
Removing Duplicate Dimension Rows in SSIS- Wandering into new territory but with confidence and flair, this week
Michael J. Swart (Blog|Twitter) gives us some SSIS goodness.
The SQLRAP Wrap Up – Sharing his experiences of using this Premier Support service it’s Mitchell Bottel (Blog|Twitter). I was not even aware that this service existed, interesting stuff!
If you weren’t a DBA, what would you like to do? – A brilliant question from Brad McGehee (Blog|Twitter). I would naturally have been a worldclass sportsman, maybe darts? What would you like to do?
Management Studio tricks you may or may not know about – This week I’m loving keyboard shortcuts, and there’s some great ones down in the Misc Technology posts section below. Back to SQL right now though, here’s the CSS SQL Server Engineers (Blog) with some SSMS tricks for you.

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!

By John Sansom Link Posts, SQL Server Community 4 Comments

Jan 27, 2012

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

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

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!

By John Sansom Link Posts, SQL Server Community 3 Comments

Jan 20, 2012

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

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!

By John Sansom Link Posts, SQL Server Community 2 Comments

Jan 13, 2012

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

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!

By John Sansom Link Posts, SQL Server Community 2 Comments

Jan 6, 2012

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

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!

By John Sansom Link Posts, SQL Server Community 1 Comment

Dec 23, 2011

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

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!

By John Sansom Link Posts, SQL Server Community No comments

Dec 16, 2011

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

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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By John Sansom Link Posts, SQL Server Community No comments

Dec 9, 2011

Something for the Weekend – SQL Server Links 09/12/11

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.

The big news for the SQL community this week is that registration for SQLBits X is open right now! To top it off this is the official SQL Server 2012 launch event for the UK. From the activity and hype on Twitter it’s clear this event is proving to be the most popular SQLBits yet, as registrations have been coming in thick and fast. I’ve booked my spot, have you?

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

SQL Server Links

Is Distinct Aggregation Still Considered Harmful? - To be honest I have absolutely no idea. Thank heavens then for Paul White (Blog|Twitter) and his performance tuning wizardry.
Adding Users To Local Groups With PowerShell - Don’t do it the hard way like I did and instead use a little PowerShell magic courtesy of Nicholas Cain (Blog|Twitter).
Finding Replication Schema Options - An excellent T-SQL tip from Jonathan Kehayias (Blog|Twitter) for those DBAs that get down and dirty with Replication.
SQL Server 2012 Licensing Changes - I bet this took a bit of work to put together. Denny Cherry (Blog|Twitter) demystifies the latest round of SQL Server licensing changes.
A Very Merry Microsoft Christmas - Kicking off this months #memmonday event it’s Thomas Larock (Blog|Twitter). There’s still time for you to get involved and share a post of your own. Not interested? Here’s why you should be.
SQL Server Optimizer Bug with JOIN and GROUP BY - Even more performance tuning insights from Paul White (Blog|Twitter).
Schema Design Changes shouldn’t just be done once - A very interesting real world performance tuning story from Denny Cherry (Blog|Twitter) this week, highlighting why it’s important to not get stuck into a particular way of doing soemthing.
SQL Server Storage: Files and Filegroups Video - Another high quality and knowledge packed video here from Brent Ozar (Blog|Twitter). Essential viewing for both the old and newer DBA.
A Good DBA Doesn’t Exist - Bold proclamations from Tim Ford (Blog|Twitter). Do you agree? I can see the angle that Mr Ford is trying to work here but I certainly do not agree! If no one knows you are actually doing a good job then you can guarantee your career progression will be well, non-existent.
CXPACKET? What’s That? And What’s Next? - Cooking up some CXPACKET Waits can be a recipe for disaster. Performance tuning head chef Michael J. Swart (Blog|Twitter) walks us through.

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!

By John Sansom Link Posts, SQL Server Community No comments

Dec 2, 2011

Something for the Weekend – SQL Server Links 02/12/11

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.

Interested to know which blog posts other readers have enjoyed the most? Check out My Popular Posts page which lists your favourites alongside mine. I’m often surprised by which posts generate the most traffic. Posts that I thought were literary and informational masterpieces(OK maybe not but they did seem to have potential) turned out not to be so, like the apparently not top 10 worthy The Best Database Administrators Automate Everything or the thought piece Outstanding DBAs Make Relationships a Priority. Conversely posts like My Guide to Passing MCTS Exam 70-432 proved immediate hits.

My daily commute to the office this week has been productive, knowledge packed and highly enjoyable, courtesy of those very nice folks over at Manning Publishing. I was delighted to have received a copy of the new title SQL Server MVP Deep Dives Volume 2 and I will be sharing my thoughts on the book in full with you in an upcoming post. Subscribe to the blog feed to make sure you catch it.

Will you be in town next Thursday evening? Why not join myself and other SQL server community folks for a festive tipple (or two) at the London SQL Server User Group’s Pre-Christmas get together.

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

SQL Server Links

Determining distribution of NULL values - A handy T-SQL tip from Aaron Bertrand (Blog|Twitter).
Geek City: Growing Rows with Snapshot Isolation - An interesting look at the internal effect of enabling this isolation level from Kalen Delaney (Blog|Twitter).
Stored Procedures with SSRS? Hmm… not so much - Having a whine about sanitization(not sanitation) this week it’s Rob Farley (Blog|Twitter).
Using CNAMEs with clustered file share resources - Clustering master class as Denny Cherry (Blog|Twitter) shares more tips.
Free Clustering & HA Training for Hyper-V & Private Cloud - Sounds like it has the potential to be very interesting indeed. Let me know if you attend!
SQL Fingertips - Sharing a wholse assortment of tips this week, it’s Michael J. Swart (Blog|Twitter).
SQL Server First Responders Kit Video - Being a DBA on the front lines of production support means you need to know your tools(I’ve worked with a few ). This week Kendra Little (Blog|Twitter) shares how she manages a crisis.
When learning database design, be careful where you learn from - Sage advice from Denny Cherry (Blog|Twitter) on why just because something works in your shop, that does not make it good design.
Writing New Hash Functions for SQL Server - Performance tuning gold this week from Thomas Kejser of Microsoft SQLCAT (Blog).
3 SQL Server Book Review Short Takes - Harsh but fair? I’ll let you decide. Brent Ozar (Blog|Twitter) with his thoughts then.
Hadoop Basics for SQL Server DBAs - An excellent introduction to this technology, courtesy of Jeremiah Peschka (Blog|Twitter). This post has uncanny timing as I’m just starting to get my hands dirty with this in my current shop. Maybe a follow up video on administration advice and performance tuning is on the cards?
A Computed Column Defined with a User-Defined Function Might Impact Query Performance - Microsoft SQLCAT (Blog)
Enabling Kerberos Authentication for Reporting Services - A little something for the BI DBA perhaps? A an excellent walk though then courtesy of Rob Carrol(Blog).

UK SQL Server Upcoming Events

Misc Technology Posts

That’s it for this week. If you’ve read a post this week that you think deserves a mention be sure to let me and other readers know by using comments section below. You can also reach me on email and find me on Twitter(@JohnSansom).

Have a great weekend!

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By John Sansom Link Posts, SQL Server Community No comments

Nov 11, 2011

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

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.

Wow hat’s off to the SQL Community this week because there has been a tremendous amount of awesome content being put out there. Perhaps an injection of inspiration following on from the recent PASS Summit.

It’s been a hectic week for me so there’s less chat but more links for you. Some folks may even prefer it that way

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

SQL Server Links

Top 5 Third Party Quotes - Richard Douglas (Blog|Twitter)
What #SQLFamily Means To Me - Thomas Larock (Blog|Twitter)
When is a SQL function not a function? - Rob Farley (Blog|Twitter)
Dude, where’s the rest of my procedure? - Aaron Bertrand (Blog|Twitter)
Survey: wasted space from cluster keys (code to run) - Paul Randal (Blog|Twitter)
Installing and Configuring SQL Server 2012 Distributed Replay - Jonathan Kehayias (Blog|Twitter)
Using SYSTEMRESTRICTSCHEMA Function in MDX to Query DMVs - Robert L. Davis(Blog|Twitter)
Local Backups Are The New Offsite Backups - Brent Ozar (Blog|Twitter)
SQL Server 2012 Licensing and Hardware Considerations - Glenn Berry (Blog|Twitter)
Sql server 2012 high availability and editions basic vs advanced - Allan Hirt (Blog|Twitter)
Recording SQL Server Configuration Settings - Phil Factor filling in this week for Brad McGehee(Blog|Twitter)
A Procedure To Deal With No Procedures - Brad Schulz (Blog)
There’s Something About Nolock: Webcast Video - Kendra Little (Blog|Twitter)
Insights into “Timeout Expired” - Michael J. Swart (Blog|Twitter)
SQL University: Advanced Indexing – Filtered Indexes - Gail Shaw (Blog|Twitter)
Delegated SQL Server Administration with Powershell - Chad Miller (Blog|Twitter)

UK SQL Server Upcoming Events

DUNDEE - Sat 19 Nov – A FREE single-day software development conference.
LEEDS - Wed 23 Nov - Cursors are evil, and shouldnt be used with Dave Ballantyne and a session from James Boother.
MANCHESTER – Thur 24 Nov - Cursors are evil, and shouldnt be used with Dave Ballantyne and a session from James Boother.

Misc Technology Posts

Have a great weekend!

By John Sansom Link Posts, SQL Server Community 2 Comments

Nov 4, 2011

Something for the Weekend – SQL Server Links 04/11/11

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

Getting graphical ShowPlans back in SQL Server 2008 R2 - “If it’s not broke then don’t…” oh wait it is. Aaron Bertrand (Blog|Twitter) with the fix.
Over and under indexing – how bad is it out there? - Some fantastic community contribution and excellent analysis of the results from Paul Randal (Blog|Twitter). I wonder what you will find out about your environments?
Congrats to Lori Brown and her SQL Server and Trace Replay article - With thanks and some pretty diagrams it’s Lee Everest (Blog).
How to Estimate Data Utilization - A really interesting perspective provided on how you use your data, courtesy of Michelle Ufford(Blog|Twitter).
So You Want To Be Mission Critical? Hire a DBA - Taking no nonsense and telling it like it this week, it’s Allan Hirt (Blog|Twitter).
Code to list index counts per table - Here’s the accompanying code resulting from the earlier post by Paul Randal (Blog|Twitter).
Stopping a Series of SQL Agent Jobs - A handy T-SQL snippet from Mike Hilwig (Blog|Twitter).
Everybody Needs a Test Harness - We most certainly do and Kevin Kline(Blog|Twitter) shows us how.
Are You Approaching Your Partition Range Limits - The second offering this week from Michelle Ufford(Blog|Twitter) with a T-SQL snippet.
New SQL Server 2012 Licensing Changes Mean Nothing To Me - You and me both. Thomas Larock (Blog|Twitter) is getting his rant on.
The case against INFORMATION_SCHEMA views - If you’re not already using the Catalog Views, here’s Aaron Bertrand (Blog|Twitter) with why you darn well should be.
SQL Tribal Knowledge - Fancy yourself as a SQL Server author but not had the opportunity to make your début? Now’s your chance thanks to Jen McCown (Blog|Twitter).

UK SQL Server Upcoming Events

SOUTHAMPTON - Wed 9 Nov -Allan Mitchell and James Rowland-Jones taking over the evening.
DUNDEE - Sat 19 Nov – A FREE single-day software development conference.
LEEDS - Wed 23 Nov - Cursors are evil, and shouldnt be used with Dave Ballantyne and a session from James Boother.
MANCHESTER – Thur 24 Nov - Cursors are evil, and shouldnt be used with Dave Ballantyne and a session from James Boother.

Misc Technology Posts

Have a great weekend!

By John Sansom Link Posts, SQL Server Community No comments

Oct 28, 2011

Something for the Weekend – SQL Server Links 28/10/11

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

Transactional replication and massive data updates - Administering a replication topology can be a particularly tricky endeavour, especially when it comes to handling large data modifications. Linchi Shea(Blog) shares how he approaches the problem and interestingly it’s different to how I would typically go about doing it.
SQL Server 2012 Developer Training Kit - Give the Developers in your shop a taste of the Denali(sorry SQL 2012) magic with this freely available training kit.
Dataflow mechanics [SSIS] - A lot of wisdom shared in this post from Jamie Thomson(Blog|Twitter) and should be considered essential reading for SSIS Developers.
Dedicated Access Control for SQL Server Express Edition - An interesting administrative support tip this week from Pinal Dave (Blog|Twitter).
SQL Sentry Plan Explorer v1.3 - If you are not using this tool already you’re missing out on making life easier for yourself! With details of the latest release it’s Aaron Bertrand (Blog|Twitter).
My 3 Favorite Connection String Tips - Not the most exciting blog post title but then it’s all about the content, which I’m pleased to say is the same excellent quality we have all come to expect from Brent Ozar (Blog|Twitter).
Successfully execute an INSERT, UPDATE and DELETE against a Database Snapshot - Microsoft SQLCAT (Blog)
Troubleshooting Repeated Login Failures on SQL Server - An interesting look at a common error encountered on a DBA support desk, brought to you by Kevin Kline(Blog|Twitter).
Where Are Your Popular Joins? - Alluring us to the Dark Side this week, it’s Michael J. Swart (Blog|Twitter).

UK SQL Server Upcoming Events

LONDON - Tue 1 Nov - SQL Server 2008 Developer Workshop with Gavin Payne.
SOUTHAMPTON - Wed 9 Nov -Allan Mitchell and James Rowland-Jones taking over the evening.
DUNDEE - Sat 19 Nov – A FREE single-day software development conference.
LEEDS - Wed 23 Nov - Provisional date.

Misc Technology Posts

On Parenthood - OK so this is not a technology post but it is authored by a prominent technical blogger and is a truly fantastic read.
RIM faces compensation lawsuits over Blackberry outage
Nokia bets on Windows Phone future
Hackers could have TAKEN OVER Amazon Web Services

Have a great weekend!

By John Sansom Link Posts, SQL Server Community No comments

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