Robyn Page and Phil Factor
Robyn Page has worked as a consultant with Enformatica and USP Networks with a special interest in the provision of broadcast services over IP intranets. She was also a well known actress, being most famous for her role as Katie Williams, barmaid and man-eater in the Television Series Family Affairs. She is currently having a career break to raise a young family.
Phil Factor (real name withheld to protect the guilty), aka Database Mole, has 20 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.
Database Design Workbench – Keys
Robyn Page and Phil Factor explore the innocent subject of Keys for their latest workbench. Everybody knows about keys. Oh yeah? Phil Factor ends up muting the immutable out of sheer devilry, and we learn how silly the British Secret Service were to tag James Bond with the code '007'… Read moreNET Performance Cribsheet
Robyn and Phil tackle the topic of how to make .NET applications perform well. As usual, they try to take a terse, practical approach to the mysteries of JIT, CLR and GC. After giving many performance tips, they come to the conclusion that rules and tips are less useful than rolling up your sleeves and measuring or profiling everything possible, to see what's really happening with your application.… Read moreSQL String User Function Workbench: part 2
In which Robyn and Phil continue with their popular series on TSQL String User-functions. In this final episode, they pull together the themes from their TSQL String Array Workbench and String User Function workbench, to provide a simple TSQL string-handling package.… Read moreSQL String User Function Workbench: part 1
Robyn and Phil go back to basics and hammer out some basic String-handling User Functions in TSQL, based on Python examples. Plenty of sample code, and TSQL programming tricks.… Read moreTSQL String Array Workbench
Robyn and Phil show how to use XML-based arrays to make string handling easier in SQL Server 2005/2008, and illustrate the techniques with some useful functions, one of which copies the PHP str_Replace function.… Read moreSQL Server Alerts: Soup to Nuts
In which Robyn Page and Phil Factor try to get to grips with the difficult subject of SQL Server Alerting, and give you enough detail to put effective alerting systems into your database. … Read moreThe SQLCMD workbench
Robyn and Phil feel strongly that there are two striking features in SSMS that extends its usefulness dramatically. The first is the Template, and the second is the powerful functionality hidden by those strange words 'SQLCMD Mode'. Here they try to demonstrate how useful SQLCMD can be to anyone who is tasked with having to administer a database.… Read moreTSQL Regular Expression Workbench
Robyn and Phil start by writing a gentle introduction to using Regular expressions for validation, data cleaning and data import in TSQL, and finally end up with a routine for doing google-style searches that show the context of hits. It's all done in the spirit of 'try it and see...'… Read moreImporting Text-based data: Workbench
Robyn and Phil return with some fresh ideas about how to import text files into SQL Server, without resorting to DTS or SSIS scripting. They go on to show how much can be done in TSQL … Read moreReporting Services Cribsheet
If you tend to just nod gravely and stay silent when SQL Server Reporting Services is mentioned, here is your opportunity to get up to speed with one of the more important technologies associated with SQL Server.… Read moreCrosstab Pivot-table Workbench
Robyn and Phil turn their attention to the bedrock of management reporting, the Pivot Table. Under Phil's 'wild man' influence, they end up with some rather radical ideas.… Read moreRSS Newsfeed Workbench
Robyn and Phil decide to build an RSS newsfeed in TSQL, using the power of SQL Server's XML. … Read moreXML Jumpstart Workbench
In which Robyn and Phil decide that the best way of starting to learn XML is to jump in and take a ride around the block.… Read moreProcess Delegation Workbench
Robyn Page and Phil Factor show a useful technique for delegating SQL Server processes to a 'Back-Office', by using 'user-defined Alerts'.… Read moreSQL Server 2005 DDL Trigger Workbench
Robyn and Phil's latest workbench shows you how to track and log all database changes, including changes to tables, logins, users and queues, using SQL 2005 DDL triggers.… Read moreSQL Server Replication Crib Sheet
Robyn Page and Phil Factor delve into all the things you need to know, rather than want to know, about SQL Server replication.… Read moreSQL Server Grouping Workbench
A gentle lesson aboutGROUP BY on the Nursery Slopes develops gradually into a wild ride off-piste amongst the pine-trees.… Read more