Grant Fritchey
Grant Fritchey is a Data Platform MVP with over 30 years' experience in IT, including time spent in support and development. He has worked with SQL Server since 6.0 back in 1995. He has also developed in VB, VB.NET, C#, and Java. Grant has written books for Apress and Simple-Talk. Grant presents at conferences and user groups, large and small, all over the world. Grant volunteers for PASS and is on the Board of Directors as the Immediate Past President. He joined Redgate Software as a product advocate January 2011.
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It’s 3AM and I’m on call
If you are part of a team that is required to ensure that an application stays running at all hours, then you're likely to experience that 3AM-callout feeling. Grant knows all too well what is required, and gives hard-won advice on the best way of keeping on top of the task of keeping the IT services running, no matter what time of day the problems occur.… Read moreSQL Azure Deployments
Over on ScaryDBA.com I posted about the new Data-Tier Application (DAC) and DAC packages (DAC pac) this morning. You might be thinking, “Oh, now he’s on the Red Gate blog he’s going to rip it apart.” And you’d be wrong. I want to work from the premise that Microsoft is completely on to something. Not … Read moreSQL Azure Backup
Have some important information stored out there on the cloud? Want a way to get a copy of it down to your local machine? Here you go. A nice neat little backup tool from Red Gate, SQL Azure Backup. Let me talk about this a bit. First off, you need to know, you will pay … Read moreLearning Stuff
Yeah, I work for Red Gate. For some reason people seem to think that means I know everything there is to know about all their products. Let me break the news, I don’t. But I’m learning. My previous employer had me do an evaluation of SQL Hyperbac and I fell in love. But we didn’t … Read morePerforming DBCC Checks Using SQL Virtual Restore
Ever restored a corrupted database from the backup, only to find that the backups are corrupted too - All the backups? Sure it can happen and it isn't nice when it does. To check that a database backup is internally consistent you have to use DBCC CheckDB. On a huge highly-loaded live system? Grant Fritchey has, as usual, a practical solution.… Read moreSQL Strategies for ‘Versioned’ Data
If you keep your data according to its version number, but need to work only with a particular version, what is the best SQL for the job? Which one works best? Which one do you use and when? … Read moreRestoring Databases
I like the way Mike Walsh phrased it: You’re Only As Good as Your Ability To Restore. Ain’t it the truth. You may be taking backups, incrementals, and log backups of your databases. You may have DBCC in place, and all that fun stuff. But if you haven’t restored the database, what do you have? … Read moreI’m Seeing Red
Hello World! My move into the world of Red Gate is more and more complete with my shiny, new, red, blog. The goal of this blog is not to compete with, or replace, my blog over at ScaryDBA. Instead, this blog is where I can share things I find about Red Gate products and services. … Read moreChange Management and Source Control
So, given the many good reasons for using Version Control systems for managing the changes in database applications, how does one go about the rather different routines of team development, such as testing, continuous integration, and managing data? What are the issues you're likely to face? … Read moreControlling Execution Plans with Hints
The Query Optimizer gets it right most of the time, but occasionally it chooses a plan that isn't the best possible. You can give the Query Optimiser a better idea by using Table, Join and Query hints. These come with a risk: Any choices you force on the Optimizer by using hints can turn out to be entirely wrong as the database changes with the addition of data over time. Grant Fritchey, in a chapter from his highly acclaimed book, explains further. … Read moreSQL Server Execution Plans – eBook Download
Why is my query running slow? Why isn't my index getting used? In order to answer these questions, you have to ask the same return question in each case: have you looked at the execution plan? Grant Fritchey provides the only dedicated and detailed guide to this essential topic. Download the eBook.… Read moreUnderstanding More Complex Query Plans
In order to be able to tackle performance issues in SQL Server , and write effective SQL, it is essential to gain a sound understanding of execution plans. Grant's previous article described graphical execution plans for Simple SQL queries. He now moves on to cover some of the more complicated plans that every database programmer will see.… Read moreGraphical Execution Plans for Simple SQL Queries
Learning how to read and analyze execution plans takes time and effort. But once you gain some experience, you will find them an essential skill for getting to grips with performance issues in SQL Server Queries. Grant here describes the range of execution plans for different simple SQL Queries.… Read moreSQL Server Execution Plans
Why is my query running slow? Why isn't my index getting used? In order to answer these questions, you have to ask the same return question in each case: have you looked at the execution plan? Grant Fritchey provides the only dedicated and detailed guide to this essential topic...… Read moreExecution Plan Basics
Every day, out in the various discussion boards devoted to Microsoft SQL Server, the same types of questions come up again and again: Why is this query running slow? Is my index getting used? Why isn't my index getting used? Why does this query run faster than this query?. The correct response is probably different in each case, but in order to arrive at the answer you have to ask the same return question in each case: have you looked at the execution plan? … Read moreSQL Server Performance Crib Sheet
Grant Fritchey provides an eagle-eye view of effective tools, strategies and techniques for SQL Server performance measurement, tuning and testing.… Read moreSQL Server Error Handling Workbench
Grant Fritchey steps into the workbench arena, with an example-fuelled examination of catching and gracefully handling errors in SQL 2000 and 2005, including worked examples of the newTRY..CATCH capabilities.… Read more