Someone contacted me yesterday and said they were getting blocked when they tried to create a FileStream data column type. On investigation, I found they were Mirroring that database – and the two aren’t compatible. Which got me to thinking – it’s probably...

What is the best “Page File” size for a Windows system running SQL Server? I see this question over and over – and I see people answering it incorrectly all the time. Note: I’m talking specifically about 64-bit architectures here. The information is different...

I’m back from a week (actually a week and two days) of being quite isolated in a cabin at the Mark Twain National State Park is Florida, Missouri. I took only a book and a guitar, and enough things to eat for the week, and not even much of that. Oh, and...

To live content with small means, to seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion, to be worthy, not respectable, and wealthy, not rich, to study hard, think quietly, talk gently, act frankly, to listen to stars and birds, to babes...

I’ve been reading recently about an exchange among some very bright folks, some who posit that the Internet with its instant-on, sometimes-right, big-statement-wins mentality is making people think in a more shallow way, teaching us to rely on others...

I’ve been a little “preachy” lately, telling you that you should let people finish their sentences, and always check a problem out before you tell a user that their issue is “impossible”. Well, I’ll round that out with one more tip today. Keep in mind...

My uncle used to say “If a man tells you that his car squirts milk in his eye when you lift the hood, don’t bet against that. You’ll end up with milk in your eye.” My friend Allen White tells me this is taken from a play (and was said about playing cards...

Last Saturday (June 12th) we held a “SQL Saturday” ( more about those here ) event in Redmond, Washington. The event was held at the Microsoft campus, at the Mixer in our new location called the “Commons”. This is a mall-like area that we have on campus...

Organization and good planning are just crutches for people that can't handle stress and caffeine. - Unknown

I do quite a few presentations, and teach at the University of Washington, and also teach other classes. But I'm always learning from others how to help others learn. At events like TechEd I have access to some of the best speakers around, so I try to...

Yesterday at TechEd 2010 here in New Orleans I worked the front-booth, answering general SQL Server questions for the masses. I was actually a little surprised to find most of the questions I got were from folks that wanted to know more about Stream Insight...

Today I worked the booth at TechEd 2010, manning the new “Surface” computer, which is just the coolest object on the planet. After that I didn’t attend a single SQL Server session – instead I’ve been frequenting SharePoint...

Normally when I blog on the first day of a conference, well, there hasn’t been a first day yet. So I talk about the value of a conference or some other facet. And normally in my (non-conference) blogs, I show you how I have learned to be a data...

If you want to do something you will find a way. If you do not want to do something you will find a reason. -Unknown

SQL Server doesn’t have an easy way to take a table backup, so I often use the bcp (Bulk Copy Program) to accomplish the same goal. I’ve mentioned this before, and someone told me when they tried it they couldn’t restore the table – ah the dangers of...

One of the most important (and most difficult) lessons for a technical professional to learn is to not jump to the solution . Perhaps you’ve done this, or had it happen to you. As the person you’re “listening” to is speaking, your mind is performing a...

I ran into an issue the other day where I couldn't set up some features in SQL Server 2008 because they ddon't support the use of Rules or Defaults. Let me explain a little more about that. In older versions of SQL Server, you could decalre a "Rule" or...