Lately, you’ve heard about DevOps. Is it just another buzzword, or is it something you should investigate? DevOps emerged over ten years ago to solve the problems of the Agile methodology. Not that Agile is bad, but there were often disconnects between developers and the operation teams who had to deploy the software. Software that … Read more
Several DAX table functions can be used for paginated reports when you want all the data, not a summary. Adam Aspin explains how to use DAX table functions for paginated reports.… Read more
It’s important to choose the right datatypes when designing a database. Greg Larsen explains the differences between CHAR, VARCHAR and VARCHAR(MAX).… Read more
Vertipaq optimization is a critical component of the columnstore compression process. Edward Pollack explains how it works and what you need to know to manage it.… Read more
To troubleshoot poorly performing SQL in Oracle, you must understand which transformations the optimizer has made. Jonathan Lewis demonstrates several possible optimizations for one query.… Read more
The technology books I’ve written go through a couple of edits, first by someone knowledgeable in the subject area and then by a copy editor. The copy editor will fix misspellings, awkward sentence structure, and grammar. The occasional modification alters the meaning of a sentence, but overall, I’m happy with the updates. I’ve worked on … Read more
The syntax for creating databases and tables in PostgreSQL is similar to other RDBMS. In this article, Grant Fritchey shows how to create databases and tables.… Read more
A data lake is a scalable data storage repository that can ingest large amounts of raw data and make it available on-demand. Robert Sheldon explains the benefits and challenges of data lakes.
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SQL Server provides two ways to include an incrementing number in a table. Greg Larsen explains how to replace an identity column with a sequence number.… Read more
Steve Jones (@way0utwest), Grant Fritchey (@GFritchey), and I are often asked to predict trends in technology, especially at the end of the year. This year we were asked about the kinds of challenges and trends, especially for monitoring and DevOps, that will be seen for database professionals in the near future. Just like the answer … Read more
Predicates in SQL are often complex and difficult to understand. In this article, Joe Celko explains the logic behind a few of the predicates: EXISTS, SOME, ANY and ALL.… Read more
December is often a time of reflection, and this year has been more unusual than most. It’s been another year of Zoom calls, still, there have also been signs of recovery and getting back to normal with increased travel, family reunions, the reopening of pubs and restaurants, and some in-person events. This year will also … Read more
You can define policies for your Azure SQL Databases for security and meeting your organization’s standards. Management groups simplify policies over multiple subscriptions. Michael Wood explains Azure Policies and Management Groups.
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Developers can work with multiple range values at once using sp_sequence_get_range. Greg Larsen explains how to return multiple sequence numbers with sp_sequence_get_range.… Read more
I first touched a SQL Server instance back in 1998 during a SQL Server 6.5 course. I hadn’t planned to take the class except that the small company I worked for had a remaining credit with one of the local training organizations. My manager thought it might be a good fit for me, but I … Read more
Video games would not be much fun without animation. In this article, Lance Talbert demonstrates Unity state machine behaviours to define code running during specific animation states.… Read more
Database professionals often work with more than one database platform. Grant Fritchey explains setting up and connecting to PostgreSQL database.… Read more
Compliant Database DevOps
Standardize team-based development
Automate database deployments
Monitor performance and availability
Protect and preserve data
