I got a response via e-mail to my post on using color connections – and I wanted to share it here: “ I just read your tip for color coding your Mgmt Studio connection.  I wanted to point out a couple things.  If you connect to a server where...

Normalization is the process of removing repeating values from your data design, and ensuring that the values depend on the Primary Key in the table. OK, it’s a bit more complicated than that, but this definition will do for this post. So how far DO you...

When I’m in SQL Server Management Studio and I click the “New Query” button, my Query Window comes up like this: /* <ScriptFileName, SYSNAME, ScriptFileName>.sql Purpose: <Purpose, SYSNAME, Purpose> Author: <Author, SYSNAME, Buck Woody>...

In cyber-space, no one can hear you scream. Have you ever connected to a server, thought it was a testing or development system, and only a split second after you pressed “F5” to run that command, realized that it was the production server? Yeah….me neither...

I work with a gentleman here in the Pacific Northwest who joined the Microsoft Server team from VMWare, and he in turn has a good friend (John Kelbley) who wrote a book on Hyper-V that you can get for free –  you can get it here: http://www.netapp...

I recently interviewed (on Channel 9) a few of the folks that are presenting at PASS this year – I thought I would share the links so you can check them out: http://channel9.msdn.com/posts/LarryLarsen/Upcoming-SQL-PASS-Summit-1/ http://channel9.msdn.com...

Sometimes I need a little motivation, other than the strong coffee I drink. Mr. Tolkien helps me put it all in perspective: “It's the job that's never started that takes the longest to finish.” - J.R.R. Tolkien

Most of the time the business side of the house isn’t that technology-savvy. Sure, they know how to use their systems and even have a computer at home, but it’s not like they could calculate a TCP/IP subnet, nor should they. I was helping with a project...

A friend of mine – Bill Ramos – showed me a little-used feature in Management Studio that I’ve been using ever since. It’s a combo box that works in the Query Window and it allows you to find text quickly in a script, but it also has a hidden benefit...

http://www.sqlsaturday.com/ This Saturday I’ll be speaking at the “SQL Saturday” event in my own backyard – Redmond, Washington! I really enjoy these events – enough to give up a Saturday to come out and join you. No, we don’t get paid for these, it’s...

When I worked at the Space Center in Florida, I drove around in a NASA van to the various sites and worked on computers – everything from hardware to software. At lunchtime, I would pull over to the beach near pad 17 and turn on the A.M. radio and listen...

Wow – we had a fantastic time at the “Mixer” building in Redmond this past Saturday. We had around 300 folks show up, straining the rooms to capacity. We had some top-notch presenters, and a very receptive audience, and we even made it through breakfast...

There’s a feature in SQL Server Management Studio called the “Database Designer”, and it’s a strange beast indeed. It’s a mix between a graphical database design tool and an Entity Relationship Diagram (ERD). Unfortunately, I don’t think it does either...

I’ll be traveling all day tomorrow (Thursday), so no time for a post. I didn’t want you to think I’d “gone offline” permanently, so I’ll post this tonight. I’m flying down to the “Holy Land” – Florida – for a weekend of SQL Server. I’ll be part of the...

I love this one, and try to practice it each day: “Learn from the mistakes of others. You can't possibly live long enough to make them all yourself.” - Martin Vanbee

Near our home is a Dam about to break. It was built long ago, and even though millions were taxed and spent for it, little to none of that money ever got to the actual shoring up and maintaining the dam  over time (don’t get me started). Anyway,...

Microsoft Research published a book based on Dr. Jim Gray’s research into Computer Science, called “The Fourth Paradigm”. It’s about 300 pages long, and it fascinated me so much I stayed up reading it last night. I have so many notes to decompress it...

In the book “The Fourth Paradigm” , Jim Gray describes the modeling process he came up with modeling large databases. He was working with scientists, researchers and others, and the data sets they were generating were huge – terabytes of data at a time...

With all of the travelling, writing, speaking and working I’ve been doing lately, I’ve come across a new trend. My schedule is so fragmented that I communicate primarily through e-mail, and I’ve noticed that I respond to, and hear back from, various people...

I will not explain why I chose this quote for today (it could have to do with the fact that I’m the only male in the house and yes, we do have a cat): “Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea.” - Robert...

I get asked quite frequently now about the “Cloud” technology and how it will affect the job of the DBA. The answer to that is pretty easy: If you’re “just a DBA”, then it will affect you a great deal. The fact that someone else will add users, take backups...

When I worked at the Space Center in Florida, one of my favorite quotes was posted over a particular rocket engine display near my office. It’s by Werner Von Braun, a German scientist who is largely responsible for the Redstone and Apollo Space Programs...

I’ll be speaking again at PASS this year, and I’m heavily involved in the event when I’m not speaking. I would love to meet you – if you’re a reader of this blog, please stop by and say hello! As of right now, here’s where’s I’ll be: Tuesday: 11:00 AM...