Most DBAs don't have time to perform routine processes manually. Everything has to be scripted, automated and scheduled. Here, Dan Sullivan describes how a combination of PowerShell and SMO ("PowerSMO") can provide a familiar but powerful command line tool for managing common SQL Server tasks.… Read more
Most companies have long since jettisoned the role of the grizzled old data architect, whose job it was to ensure a common understanding of the meaning of all data entities in the enterprise, and the actions carried out on it. Many are just now coming to realize what a costly mistake that might have been...… Read more
Database refactoring can greatly improve the efficiency of your database code. However, even a seemingly simple database refactoring such as "Move Column" can be tricky to implement correctly in a production environment. In this article, Scott Ambler and Pramod Sadalage describe a rigorous process for the correct implementation of an appropriate refactoring. … Read more
When a 'torn page' error corrupts a SQL Server database, threatening the survival of some vital data and a mainly harmless colleague, our curmudgeonly hero jumps into action...… Read more
Nigel Rivett demonstrates some core techniques for extracting SQL Server data into CSV files, focussing on a stored procedure approach that gives complete control of the format of the extracted data.… Read more
This article discusses three common problems DBAs are likely to encounter when columns have an identity property that will auto-increment its value when data is inserted. These problems are humorously referred to as the identity crisis.
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