In the last editorial, I wrote about how it is obvious from what we see and read that Tech is not neutral nor apolitical, how this has lead to a narrowing of perspective, and that empathy is not enough to replace the authentic lived experience and therefore the knowledge of a diverse group of people. … Read more
Microsoft added the In-Memory OLTP (aka memory optimized tables) feature to SQL Server 2014. Operations to this type of table do not need locks, therefore eliminating blocking and deadlocking. In this Article, Monica Rathbun demonstrates how to get started using memory optimized tables.… Read more
DAX contains a host of time-intelligence functions with exotic names such as SAMEPERIODLASTYEAR and PARALLELPERIOD. In the last article in this series, Andy Brown explains how to write measures using the range of date functions in DAX, and also explains how time-intelligence functions work behind the scenes. … Read more
Microsoft has added a group of features called Intelligent Query Processing to SQL Server 2017 and 2019. In this article, Greg Larsen explains one of the features, Scalar UDF Inlining.… Read more
In 2020, my main personal goal is to reduce doing harm, and this has been mainly inspired by the work of Kim Crayton and the #causeascene Guiding Principles. Kim is a business strategist, tech leader coach, professional educator, and founder of the #causeascene movement. Tech is not neutral. Actually, it has never been neutral, nor … Read more
As developers should not have access to production data, it’s possible that duplicate values can sneak in during migrations. In this article of the series, Phil Factor demonstrates a way to check for duplicates when unique constraints are disabled.… Read more
Each year Redgate Software runs a survey to learn more about how organizations practice DevOps, especially when it relates to the database. This year, over 2000 individuals responded, and they are from diverse industries and company sizes. The key findings in the report are: Frequent database deployments are increasing: 49% of respondents now report they … Read more
Microsoft provides a service to analyze text data called Text Analytics Cognitive Service. In this article, Sanil Mhatre demonstrates how to use this service from Power BI. … Read more
One of the most critical things that a game must do is to save data like the preferences and score. In this article, Lance Talbert demonstrates two ways to save data when you create your game in Unity.… Read more
Since SQL Server now runs in Linux, more database professionals will begin to learn this operating system. In this article, Robert Cain demonstrates how to set up an Ubuntu virtual machine for learning.… Read more
Window functions are useful for solving many SQL queries. In this article, Ed Pollack demonstrates how they can be used to analyse baseball winning streaks.… Read more
When the Netflix series Black Mirror began in 2011, I watched a few episodes. Recently, I “binge-watched” more to catch up. If you’re not familiar with the series, each episode is about technology, and how people must deal with it when it goes awry. For the most part, the technology featured in the series doesn’t … Read more
Database table constraints such as foreign keys and default values ensure reliability of the data. In this article, Phil Factor demonstrates a way to find any data that breaks the build so it can be corrected before deployment.… Read more
Comments are helpful when programming in any language, and PowerShell is no exception. In this article, Greg Moore demonstrates how to use comments to document code and to add prerequisites in PowerShell with #Requires.… Read more
You can use a host of time-intelligence functions in DAX to calculate everything from simple year-to-date totals to moving averages and average opening and closing balances. In this article, Andy Brown shows how to model various scenarios with calendars and dates, and how to get around some of the issues you may encounter. … Read more
T-SQL window functions simplify solving many complex queries. In this article, Edward Pollack demonstrates how the functions can be used to find gaps and islands in a dataset. … Read more
According to Microsoft, DevOps is “the union of people, process, and products to enable continuous delivery of value to our end users.” The definition doesn’t mention any frameworks or specific tools, and it’s more about communication and culture than any technology. That said, automation and tooling are critical components of DevOps as it helps organizations … Read more
Subscribe for more articles
Fortnightly newsletters help sharpen your skills and keep you ahead, with articles, ebooks and opinion to keep you informed.
Compliant Database DevOps
Standardize team-based development
Automate database deployments
Monitor performance and availability
Protect and preserve data
