Product learning

Posts by

Phil Factor

Phil Factor (real name withheld to protect the guilty), aka Database Mole, has 30 years of experience with database-intensive applications.

Despite having once been shouted at by a furious Bill Gates at an exhibition in the early 1980s, he has remained resolutely anonymous throughout his career.

He is a regular contributor to Simple Talk and SQLServerCentral.

Phil Factor

18 August 2020

Phil Factor

18 August 2020

Introduction to Analyzing Waits using SQL Monitor

Phil Factor sets out with the modest aim of giving you enough of an introduction to waits to better understand the wait information you get from a SQL Server monitoring tool like SQL Monitor, and the rather overwhelming amount of information available in the underlying DMVs and Extended Events. Read more

Phil Factor

14 August 2020

Phil Factor

14 August 2020

Using Filters to Fine-tune Redgate Database Deployments

Filters are used by Redgate's SQL Compare, SQL Source Control, DLM Dashboard, and SQL Change Automation. A typical use for a filter is to work on just one schema within a database or just a limited set of tables and routines. You would also want to use a filter to exclude certain object, such... Read more

Phil Factor

5 August 2020

Phil Factor

5 August 2020

Reverse-Engineering the Production Database into Source Control

Starting out a new database development with source control is relatively easy. To introduce source control into an existing database application can be more challenging. Phil Factor explains some of the fundamental steps. Read more

Phil Factor

17 July 2020

Phil Factor

17 July 2020

Gathering SQL Server Performance Counters for Multiple Servers

SQL Multi Script can easily be persuaded to run queries at the server level rather than the database level. It is also able to combine results from many databases even if the results aren't identical but have some different columns. Phil Factor demonstrates how this works, when collecting a set of performance counters from... Read more

Phil Factor

14 July 2020

Phil Factor

14 July 2020

Unboxing SQL Toolbelt Essentials: What is SQL Multi Script for?

SQL Multi Script does one thing and does it well: it will run whatever script or scripts you select, on a list of databases, and collate all the results neatly. However, it has a surprising number of uses. Phil Factor explains how it works and then uses it to search 100 databases, for occurrences... Read more

Phil Factor

10 July 2020

Phil Factor

10 July 2020

Tracking use of Deprecated SQL Server Features

Phil Factor explains how to use Dynamic Management Views and Extended Events to track use of deprecated SQL Server syntax on working SQL Server databases, as well as SQL Prompt and SQL Change Automation to detect its use during database development. Read more

Phil Factor

6 July 2020

Phil Factor

6 July 2020

Creating a Simple Development Harness with SQL Compare and SQL Data Generator

There is no single, correct approach to developing and testing your SQL batches and routines. It depends on the requirement. For simple tasks, like modifying and testing a view or stored procedure, SQL Compare and SQL Data Generator, combined, provide a useful, lightweight development harness. Read more

Phil Factor

2 July 2020

Phil Factor

2 July 2020

Exploring the SQL Compare Options

You need to compare database schema objects in two SQL Server databases, and then automatically generate a SQL deployment script that when executed will remove these differences, either making the schema of the target database match the source, or vice-versa. It sounds easy, but the problems lie in the details of the schema comparison... Read more

Phil Factor

19 June 2020

Phil Factor

19 June 2020

Handling System-named Constraints in SQL Compare

If some of your database constraints have system-generated names, they can cause 'false positives' when comparing schemas and generating build scripts using SQL Compare or SQL Change Automation. Phil Factor explains the difficulties, and the Compare option you need to enable to avoid them. Read more

Phil Factor

11 June 2020

Phil Factor

11 June 2020

Simple Database Development with SQL Change Automation

SQL Change Automation makes automation simple enough that it can adapt to suit many different approaches to SQL Server database development. Phil Factor describes a project to update the Pubs database, using it in combination with a PowerShell function and to maintain in source control the build scripts, migration scripts and object-level scripts, for... Read more

Redgate Test Data Manager

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Redgate Monitor

Overview

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Automate

Monitor

Product learning

Posts by

Phil Factor

Introduction to Analyzing Waits using SQL Monitor

Using Filters to Fine-tune Redgate Database Deployments

Reverse-Engineering the Production Database into Source Control

Gathering SQL Server Performance Counters for Multiple Servers

Unboxing SQL Toolbelt Essentials: What is SQL Multi Script for?

Tracking use of Deprecated SQL Server Features

Creating a Simple Development Harness with SQL Compare and SQL Data Generator

Exploring the SQL Compare Options

Handling System-named Constraints in SQL Compare

Simple Database Development with SQL Change Automation

Redgate Test Data Manager

Redgate Flyway

Redgate Monitor

Overview

Protect

Automate

Monitor

Posts by Phil Factor

Posts by

Phil Factor