February, 2009

Microsoft likes for its people to be certified in as many technologies as possible. Personally, I find certifications useful since they help me focus my study, but I don't think that certification = expert. It's just one part of the puzzle. To that end...

I was sent this week's quote by my good friend Chris Pelley. Not sure who it is attributed to, but it sure sounds right to me: "Walking on water and developing software from a specification are easy if both are frozen."

I received an e-mail from a reader asking if I could post a link to a script he's documented in an article. I'm always happy to do that, but there are some things you should know about ANY script you find on the web, and while I'm at it, for how you read...

I spoke at the Portland User Group in Oregon last night, and what a great group of folks! I spoke for over two hours on the improvements in SQL Server 2008 for the Developer. As I spoke it reminded me that all over the world, people meet to talk about...

One of the biggest issues in compliance is finding out who has permissions to what. And once you're done with that, you need to track when that changes. PowerShell to the rescue!  Here's what I'm using for that: 1: # Scripting database objects: ...

Almost everyone I know has a drawer in the kitchen that ends up overstuffed, containing rubber bands, homework, pencils, a non-matching butter-knife, some string, a dog leash and whatever else. And in a lot of companies you'll see the same thing, only...

I use a particular background in my presentations that I've been asked about a lot. I thought I would share that here: http://blogs.msdn.com/photos/buck_woody_-_msft/images/9286756/original.aspx

No commentary needed, I think: There is always free cheese in a mousetrap. - Anonymous

Whenever economic situations change, the IT department has to adapt. The situation in many shops is that IT is a recurring cost, carried by the entire business. What that means is that your IT department is asked to service the entire organization, no...

If you have PowerShell installed (even if it isn’t the SQL Server 2008 provider), you can and should check your servers each day to see if you have login failures. This is very useful to help ensure that your server is safe and secure. Whenever someone...

Does the data professional need to know about Patterns and Practices? Well, if you're on the development side of things, you're more than likely already familiar with this term. At the bottom it's a list of "best practices" that you use to solve...

At the top of the Object Explorer Details (OED) pane in SQL Server Management Studio 2008 there is a box to type in a search term for database objects. You can use the exact name, or use standard T-SQL wildcards to find an object such as a table or a...

Happy Friday the 13th!  Remember: "It is bad luck to be superstitious."

I started working with technology a long time ago - long enough to remember the mainframe way of life. Back then, a select group of folks controlled access to "the computer". On certain desks stood terminals, and programs were all custom-written...

As you know, I'm a big proponent of User Groups. I've been in charge of many, and I still present at them and attend my local PASS chapter. I just found a fantastic free resource for user groups - free content, advice, and even money!  Check it out...

I'm on my way to the city of Seattle this morning on the train and I ran across an issue with a database restore. I've been working with Service Broker and then put it out of my mind. I then backed up said database and restored it the same instance as...

I mentioned yesterday about the database I was using implemented Service Broker. I wanted to mention (again) the incredible need for planning when you're setting up a project. Whenever you're working on something as distributed as Service Broker, you...

Consolidating your servers is all the rage, especially since you can save money by doing it. You can save not only on the hardware, but the licenses. To do that properly, you need a strategy. You start by detailing what you have, and then lay out the...

Years ago, "finish" carpenters would travel from job to job to find work. When they showed up on site, they would speak with the foreman, who would ask to see their toolbox. See, in those days, there were no power tools, so the carpenter carried...

"My interest is in the future because I'm going to spend the rest of my life there."  - Charles F. Kettering