January, 2010

Love this: “There is no pleasure in having nothing to do; the fun is in having lots to do and not doing it.” – Mary Little

Many shops need to store binary large objects (sometimes called BLOBS) in a database. There are really only two ways to do this: store in them in a table structure in the database itself using a binary data type, or store them in the operating system...

I’ve created a presentation called “Data as Strategy”, and in it I cover multiple solutions for various issues that organizations face in dealing with the “new world” of data management. No longer are we just DBA’s or Developers, now we’re part of the...

I had someone ask me yesterday how they could get to a database used by a product that they owned, but that was installed using SQL Server Express. They didn’t have access to the database, and they didn’t know the password for the service that started...

In the past few blog posts I’ve showed you how to use several methods to track things in SQL Server. You can use the “tags” to the right of this post here at this site to list things like PowerShell, Performance Tuning and so on. Now that you’re armed...

My daughter is in her teen years, and I told her early on that she should have a few “tests” for any boy she dates (when she starts dating, that is). This is is one of them: “You can easily judge the character of a man by the way he treats those who can...

I show this little-known feature in just about every perf tuning class I give, and it’s often a surprise to most of the folks there. It’s not earth-shattering or anything, but I do find it helpful. In SQL Server Management Studio 2008, start the new Activity...

I’m holding Performance Tuning Workshops this week for my clients in Washington and Idaho. During that workshop, I explain that there are several ways to examine the SQL Server component of an application. There’s “Hardware Component Pressure Measurement...

I've been asked to explain three major events that brought me to where I am today. That's a tall order for me, since I view everything as a continuum of multiple small events. But there are some "seminal" events that tend to either show or dictate a further...

Most data professionals I’ve met work in two modes: we plan for our day, and we react to the situations around us. I’m staring at my list of things that I need to do today right now, which is my planned work. Of course, I have no idea how much of that...

OK, this will probably never happen, and I have no official affiliation with the Professional Association of SQL Server (PASS) at all, everyone will think is crazy, but at the PASS yearly conference I would really like to see this competition:  ...

Sometimes the task is huge. There’s a risk of failure; you might not make it. Should you try anyway? “To undertake is to achieve.” - Emily Dickinson

I need your help. I know how I create databases, and I’ve watched a lot of other data professionals follow their own processes for that, but I want to know how YOU do it. I’ve written about the process I follow for a complete database design on...

As the Data Professional in your organization, the rest of the org looks to you to ensure that the system can handle what the business requires. To do that, you need to know two things: what the business requires, and what SQL Server can do. But of course...

Yesterday I challenged you to ask the question “What is the more excellent way?” at three decision points. I mentioned that I would take the challenge as well, and report back here on the results. I actually asked myself the question more than three times...

I’m going to issue you a technical and professional challenge this morning. Yesterday I heard a great sermon based on a simple question: “What is the more excellent way?” The challenge I’ll issue to you (and to myself) is to pick three decision points...

“No man needs a vacation so much as the man who has just had one.” - Elbert Hubbard

I'm kind of a type "A" person. OK, I'm a VERY type "A" person. I even cook by setting things up ahead of time. I'm definitely more in the "Plan and Prepare" camp than the "Just Do It" camp. But I do realize that there are times when you just can't...

You’ve probably seen that commercial where the chewing-gum company van stalks the guy who has been chewing the same piece of gum too long, and they attack him and make him chew another piece. I feel like that with SQL Server 2000. Almost every shop I...

It’s not hard to get Performance Monitor counters in PowerShell 1.0, and it’s REALLY easy in 2.0. This is one I used yesterday to monitor network bytes in and out on 2.0 (keep all of the green lines in this post on the same line) : get-counter -Counter...

Many people use the New Year as a time when they promise themselves to behave differently. They plan to be healthier, eat less, workout more and so on. My family and I have for several years had a similar tradition. We find a restaurant that is open early...

"We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day." Edith Lovejoy Pierce