When we start a data warehousing project, the first thing we do is define the dimensional tables. Dimensional tables are the interesting bits, the framework around which we build our measurements. They come in many shapes and sizes. In this article, we are going to take a closer look at each type of dimensional... Read more
When databases were sized in megabytes rather than petabytes, their design was a well-defined discipline of data analysis and implementation. A progression of modeling steps – from conceptual and logical through relational and/or physical – promised successful deployment. Read more
Do you like the reassurance that a support engineer is only a phone call away when something goes wrong? When disaster strikes, it’s good to know there’s a capable person to hand who can help save your bacon. A support contract is a no-brainer for most organizations when they buy tools for SQL Server.... Read more
It’s that time of year again when I start looking forward to October and PASS Summit. The (rainy and grey) streets of Seattle will, once again, be full of data professionals. Over 4,000 members of the #SQL community (professionals who use the Microsoft data platform) will descend on the Emerald City between 25-28 October... Read more
Relationships are everywhere: between people, between organizations, between organizations and people. Think about being an employee of a company, being a member of a project team, or being a subsidiary of another company. Is there a straightforward way to accurately model and manage all these relationships? Can we easily answer the question ‘Who knows... Read more
Have you written an application that issues invoices? Then you’ve probably struggled with PDF generation, for a start! (Headers don’t need to align, do they?) But there is much more to generating invoices than a pretty PDF. What information has to be on an invoice? How long should you keep an invoice? Read more
The process of defining your data warehousing system (DWH) has started. You’ve outlined the relevant dimension tables, which tie to the business requirements. These tables define what we weigh, observe and scale. Now we need to define how we measure. Read more
The bill of materials design pattern is deceptively simple, yet incredibly powerful. This article will introduce an example, familiar to IT professionals, that you may not have thought fits the BOM pattern. It will also introduce concepts to show you how to make your BOM structures more flexible and much easier to manage. Read more
Several years ago I was introduced to UserVoice, the online forum that enables direct contact with users, allowing you to collect their feedback and build the features they vote for. At the time I had a very poor line of communication with users, so when I joined Redgate and started using UserVoice regularly, I... Read more
Over recent months, Redgate’s development teams have been busy updating the tools in the SQL Toolbelt to support the valuable new functionality released with SQL Server 2016. To achieve this, most tools now support the syntax for SQL Server 2016’s key features, letting you do even more with them. Stretch Tables Our flagship tool... Read more
