Problems with data quality are easier and cheaper to prevent than to solve later. In this article, Joe Celko talks about data quality and where the issues tend to happen.… Read more
It’s easy to use invoke-sqlcmd to send T-SQL statements to SQL Server from PowerShell. There is, however, a rich PowerShell library, sqlps, that can be used instead. In this article, Greg Moore shows how to use sqlps to treat a SQL Server instance as an object.… Read more
Data science is so hip today that everyone is doing it. Everyone is showing off their ‘data science muscles’ by how much data they can lift and in what amazing ways the lifting is done. However, only some are showing that they can work in a smart way, and even fewer are showing common sense. … Read more
JSON is a viable option for transferring data between systems. It has the ability to include schema information along with the data which is an advantage over CSV files. In this article, Phil Factor demonstrates how he takes advantage of JSON when exporting or importing tables. … Read more
In September, thousands of IT professionals, developers, and trainers descended on Orlando, FL, for Microsoft’s Ignite conference. This was Microsoft’s chance to make big announcements about artificial intelligence, Azure, SQL Server 2019, DevOps, and much more. The keynotes were live-streamed, and all the sessions are available for streaming on demand. From a distance, there was … Read more
Regulations may require that you audit exactly who does what in your databases. Robert Sheldon explains how SQL Server can help you meet those requirements with its built-in auditing capabilities.… Read more
Today, we use voice in many ways. We can order groceries, ask to hear certain musical recordings, and much more with voice commands to our devices. In this article, Lance Talbert demonstrates how to add voice commands to video games.… Read more
In my view, data security is an abstract concept, just as abstract as money, religion and fascination – all devised by humans. And anything that is human-made can be human-destroyed. When it comes to IT and data security, history has proven that pretty much anything can be cracked, taken, reshuffled, altered, refurbished, reheated and re-served. … Read more
SQLPSX is a useful library you can add to PowerShell to automate many DBA tasks. In this article, Laerte Junior demonstrates several useful commands and shows you how to create a SQL Agent job using this library to run daily DBA checks.… Read more
Database administrators are typically responsible for the security and availability of financial data. In this article, Robert Sheldon discusses SOX, passed in 2002, that governs financial data of publicly traded companies in the US.… Read more
Dynamic types were introduced in .NET 4. Dynamic objects let you work with structures such as JSON documents whose composition may not be known until runtime. In this article, Camilo Reyes explains how to work with dynamic types.… Read more
In the third article of this series on testing PowerShell code with Pester, Robert Cain demonstrates how to test the functions in a PowerShell module. … Read more
Recently, I thought about the difference between a career and a job. Technically, a job is one employment agreement out of many that span a career. A career could be database administration, while a job could be the time employed at one company. The difference between these could be considered in another way, however. If … Read more
In the third part of his series, Nicolas Prigent describes how to run post-deployment configuration and automation tasks on Azure Virtual Machines. Nicolas explains how to use Azure VM Extensions using the Azure PowerShell module to save time during the provisioning process.… Read more
HIPAA was signed into law in the United States in 1996. In this article, Robert Sheldon discusses how the act affects the day-to-day responsibilities of database administrators. … Read more
Being an entrepreneur isn’t for everyone; by the same token, being an employee is not either. There are serious pros and cons to each side that affect one’s stress level, work/life balance, and personal fulfillment. People don’t so much choose to be an entrepreneur as they are called to be one. Entrepreneurs generally know from … Read more
Every Database Administrator, developer, report writer, and anyone else who writes T-SQL to access SQL Server data, must understand how to read and interpret execution plans. My book leads you right from the basics of capturing plans, through how to interrupt them in their various forms, graphical or XML, and then how to use the … Read more
SQL Server DBAs are typically quite familiar with security and best practices in Windows but may not understand how security works in Linux. In this article, Kellyn Pot'Vin-Gorman demonstrates how to manage user accounts in Linux and why working while logged in as root is a bad idea.… Read more
CQRS (Command Query Responsibility Segregation) allows developers to segregate data modification from selecting data. In this first article of the series, Diogo Souza walks you through configuring the environment and creating the start an application to demonstrate this architecture.… Read more
I was recently asked if I thought getting a Microsoft certification was valuable. I see quite a few benefits. Certifications might help your company become a Microsoft Gold Partner, and certification may be a selling point when assigning consultants to engagements. For me, the big benefits have been about learning new features and getting to … Read more
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