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I'm continuing my series on the Standard Reports in SQL Server Management Studio , and today we’re in the database reports. You can find these reports by starting SQL Server Management Studio and right-clicking a database name. From the menu that appears...

On the bus-ride to work, I listen to some music while I work on the laptop, and each morning I listen to a Podcast or two. Some are very good - others are just passable - so I thought I would toss my hat in the ring. In the next couple of weeks I'll...

I build a new SQL Server just about every other day. As we write new software or fix bugs on old software, we create a new installation of SQL Server. Those of us who are testing the fixes, creating new features and so on have to install these new versions...

I'm continuing my series on the Standard Reports in SQL Server Management Studio , and today we’re in the database reports. You can find these reports by starting SQL Server Management Studio and right-clicking a database name. From the menu that appears...

I'm continuing my series on the Standard Reports in SQL Server Management Studio , and today we’re in the database reports. You can find these reports by starting SQL Server Management Studio and right-clicking a database name. From the menu that appears...

In a previous post, I discussed a few broad-level topics that DBAs need to know about working with database systems. Today I thought I would describe the topics developers need to know about databases to work with them efficiently. Let's start by...

At one time or another, we all need a little help. When you’re knee-deep in Production and you run into a Problem, a little panic is unavoidable. Having a military background, I’ve been taught that the best way to deal with inevitable panic is preparation...

What knowledge is needed to effectively manage a database system? That depends, of course, on what you mean by “manage” and “database system". For this discussion, I’ll define “manage” to include not only pure maintenance tasks but also creation and design...

I’ve spoken quite a bit about some of the processes and constraints we have in developing software here at Microsoft. I haven’t explained the actual tools or specific paradigms we follow. When some people come to work here, they are often surprised to...

I'm continuing my series on the Standard Reports in SQL Server Management Studio , and today we’re in the database reports. You can find these reports by starting SQL Server Management Studio and right-clicking a database name. From the menu that appears...

From the metrics on this blog, I see that many of you are either software developers or are database administrators involved with developing software solutions, either for your own company or for sale. I have often seen the process of creating applications...

If you have multiple systems in your organization, and especially if you use multiple kinds of systems (such as exchange, Forefront and SQL Server, for instance) then you might want to check out Microsoft System Center, and in particular, System Center...

As I was presenting at TechReady yesterday on the new SQL Server 2008 features that will directly affect Microsoft System Center, I was asked a few times about some resources where people could go to learn more about it. I thought I would share that here...

In the final days before a release, the Program Managers face pressure on two fronts: on one hand, we are asked to work extra hard to get the features ready for the final release. There’s a lot of testing, re-coding and more testing to do. Sure, we have...

Along with some of the other requirements and challenges we face in developing software for the global marketplace are legal ramifications. Almost everything we write, from the name of the feature to the shape of the icons, is usually subject to some...

Earlier I spoke a little about some of what we go through to localize and globalize our software, and today I thought I might mention a little about how we make it accessible to different kinds of people. I was thinking about this late last night as I...

If you want to sell (or give away) your software in multiple countries, you need to think about Localization , which simply means ensuring that the application can be used in other places. At Microsoft, and in SQL Server in particular, we actually break...

I'm continuing my series on the Standard Reports in SQL Server Management Studio , and today we’re in the database reports. You can find these reports by starting SQL Server Management Studio and right-clicking a database name. From the menu that appears...

I’ve worked in several multi-developer/multi-DBA shops in my day, and I’ve also taught a few DBA courses here and there. If you’re in the same situation, you know that it’s often important to be able to show your code to others. I have two tips for SQL...

I'm continuing my series on the Standard Reports in SQL Server Management Studio , and today we’re in the database reports. You can find these reports by starting SQL Server Management Studio and right-clicking a database name. From the menu that appears...

I've got another question for you - where should the tools be? Let me explain. Most of the time when you connect to SQL Server, you open SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) on a client machine and then type in the name of a server somewhere on the...