In the third article of this series on testing PowerShell code with Pester, Robert Cain demonstrates how to test the functions in a PowerShell module. … Read more
Recently, I thought about the difference between a career and a job. Technically, a job is one employment agreement out of many that span a career. A career could be database administration, while a job could be the time employed at one company. The difference between these could be considered in another way, however. If … Read more
Vue.js is a versatile JavaScript Framework that has many benefits for the developer building .NET web applications. It is, however, not easy to get started with this framework. In this article, Damon Armstrong provides an introduction to Vue.js.… Read more
With the billing data from your Azure Enterprise Agreement collected into one database, it is still necessary to break down the costs and provide access to the correct departments and individuals. This is important for chargeback and further analysis. In this article, Feodor Georgiev demonstrates how to provide granular access to the billing data.… Read more
In the third part of his series, Nicolas Prigent describes how to run post-deployment configuration and automation tasks on Azure Virtual Machines. Nicolas explains how to use Azure VM Extensions using the Azure PowerShell module to save time during the provisioning process.… Read more
HIPAA was signed into law in the United States in 1996. In this article, Robert Sheldon discusses how the act affects the day-to-day responsibilities of database administrators. … Read more
Being an entrepreneur isn’t for everyone; by the same token, being an employee is not either. There are serious pros and cons to each side that affect one’s stress level, work/life balance, and personal fulfillment. People don’t so much choose to be an entrepreneur as they are called to be one. Entrepreneurs generally know from … Read more
Every Database Administrator, developer, report writer, and anyone else who writes T-SQL to access SQL Server data, must understand how to read and interpret execution plans. My book leads you right from the basics of capturing plans, through how to interrupt them in their various forms, graphical or XML, and then how to use the … Read more
As new versions of SQL Server have been released, the Query Optimizer has undergone many improvements. Adaptive Query Processing, new in 2017, represents a new direction. This set of features provides some flexibility for varying join types, multi-statement table valued functions, and memory grants. In this article, Robert Sheldon explains the three features that make up Adaptive Query Processing … Read more
The Extended Events (or XEvents) feature has been part of SQL Server since 2008, but many database professionals struggle to get started using it. In this article, Phil Factor demonstrates several useful Extended Event sessions that measure just one thing in each. He then provides the code necessary to parse the resulting XML into something you can use.… Read more
SQL Server DBAs are typically quite familiar with security and best practices in Windows but may not understand how security works in Linux. In this article, Kellyn Pot'Vin-Gorman demonstrates how to manage user accounts in Linux and why working while logged in as root is a bad idea.… Read more
Azure contains a vast array of services that can be used for machine learning, text analysis, and more. In this article, Supriya Pande provides a brief explanation of machine learning and then walks you through creating a sentiment analysis application.… Read more
CQRS (Command Query Responsibility Segregation) allows developers to segregate data modification from selecting data. In this first article of the series, Diogo Souza walks you through configuring the environment and creating the start an application to demonstrate this architecture.… Read more
I was recently asked if I thought getting a Microsoft certification was valuable. I see quite a few benefits. Certifications might help your company become a Microsoft Gold Partner, and certification may be a selling point when assigning consultants to engagements. For me, the big benefits have been about learning new features and getting to … Read more
Defects in software can occur in any phase of the software creation process. The earlier and better they are managed, the easier they are to correct. In this article, Afsana Atar explains defect management, including prevention and resolution.… Read more
Now that the GDPR has gone into effect, many are wondering what will happen in the United States. California is the first state to enact similar legislation, called the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (CCPA). In this article, William Brewer explains the history of the law, what it means for companies doing business with California residents, and how it compares to the GDPR.… Read more
Azure Storage can store many types of data, from NoSQL tables to VHDs. In this article, Supriya Pande explains how to work with Azure Storage Explorer, a tool that makes it easy to manage storage in Azure. She also provides an example of using the Azure Storage .NET SDK to upload files.… Read more
Performance is important to video game players. If a game is slow, the player may experience unintended difficulties in timing, positioning, and much more. Unity added a job system with the 2018.1 update which allows multithreaded code which can improve performance. In this article, Lance Talbert walks you through using the new job system.… Read more
Power BI Desktop is typically used to create reports that will eventually be published to Power BI Services where dashboards can be built. Robert Sheldon demonstrates how to publish reports from Power BI Desktop to the Power BI Service. Once published, the visualizations can be filtered, drilled into, or pinned to a dashboard.… Read more
Since the GDPR has gone into effect, the focus has often been on databases. There are many other ways that personally identifiable data may be stored by an organization. In this article, David Poole shows how to use Bash and PowerShell to locate that data in file shares… Read more
Compliant Database DevOps
