When I was a DBA responsible for 40 to 50 SQL Server instances, I didn’t have many third-party tools to help me do my job. I remember that I was able to buy a tool to compress database backups before that functionality was built into SQL Server. I also had a handful of licenses for … Read more
I’ve noticed that some television shows have been incorporating the Covid-19 pandemic into their recent episodes. (There are some spoilers here, so read with caution!) A medical series, “The Good Doctor,” featured it in two episodes and then, magically, the pandemic was over. The popular series “This is Us” is trying to set a good … Read more
Synonyms inside SQL Server are one of those useful but forgotten features. A synonym is a database level object that allows you to provide an alternative name for another database object such as a view, user defined table, scalar function, stored procedure, inline table valued function (tvf), or extended stored procedure. They can also be … Read more
Recently, the editor of SQLServerCentral.com, Steve Jones, shared a video in our team Slack channel that talked about how you shouldn’t feel like an imposter when you get out of your comfort zone. It talked about how incredibly successful people didn’t know how to do what they eventually accomplished back when they started. For example, … Read more
This is the fifth year that Redgate has surveyed IT professionals about their organization’s DevOps practices. Each year, the number of respondents increases, reaching 3,200 submissions this year. An interesting new topic to consider this year is how the Covid-19 pandemic affected DevOps practices. Here are the some of the key insights found in the … Read more
If you are lucky enough to enjoy the work you do, it could be because you are frequently “in the zone.” The zone is a state of complete concentration, also called “flow,” where time seems to stand still, and performance is at its peak. Before I heard these terms, I often experienced deep concentration while … Read more
Why is it such a cliché to complain about our parents? You hear it from friends or in films all the time…”damn, I have to go to my folks for dinner. It’s gonna be rough.” It’s a tale as old as time. As our parents age (and retire), they inevitably participate in the world less. They interact with the world far … Read more
Every year, folks make resolutions and set goals for the new year. It would be interesting to have some real numbers comparing success in 2020 to a typical year, but I bet that many of us have failed or at least had to postpone plans and goals. I had no idea that my trip to … Read more
This year has been difficult for most of us, and it’s almost over. The lives of people throughout the world have been turned upside down. Many of us, myself included, already worked remotely, but now face a multitude of new challenges. When confronted with the looming crisis in March, Redgate thought first about the safety … Read more
Do you cringe while scrolling through social media? When have you ever felt better after scrolling? If you feel like social media is a net-loss for collective mental health, you’re not alone. We post in superabundance with flailing emotions. We flaunt our duck-faced selfies with smooth-faced filters until we don’t even look human. We hammer … Read more
Redgate has recently opened the 2021 State of Database DevOps Survey. Whether or not your organization does DevOps, I would love for you to take the survey. The survey will require around 15 minutes of your time, but I think it’s a great investment as it will benefit the whole community of database administrators, developers, and … Read more
I attended a training session at Redgate this week by Chris Spalton. Chris’ session topic was “An Introduction into Planning User Research.” Chris pointed out that there’s much more to User Research, but that planning the research is particularly important as it is the foundation for everything you do later. If you’re a database administrator … Read more
Conventional wisdom says that communication is the critical for success in just about any aspect of life, be that personal relationships or within teams or corporations. Of course, miscommunication can cause all sorts of problems. Communication has changed drastically over the past few centuries due to technology. We’ve gone from the ability to speak mostly … Read more
Whenever I teach database topics to a class of beginners, someone inevitably says that Microsoft Excel is a database. Excel is an amazing tool with built-in functionality for financial calculations, statistics, and more, but it’s not a database. It’s great for keeping track and organizing small amounts of data, but it doesn’t meet the requirements … Read more
A very common tenet used when building out a DevOps style approach to automated deployment is the concept of failing fast. You want to identify issues with the changes in your code and structures as early as possible to protect the production environment. One of the most common methods to meet this requirement is setting … Read more
Classifying the data within an organization is not just something nice to do. It’s critical for complying with regulations such as The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), The Australian Privacy Act, and a host of other privacy laws enacted throughout the world. … Read more
Think of online conferences in the same way you would an in-person event … and then think again. Here at Redgate, there’s a strong emphasis on learning and development that continues in this new world where COVID-19 has stripped away the chance for us to meet face-to-face safely. As Redgate’s Events Marketing Manager, it’s been … Read more
Many are finding the quarantine a net gain for mental health. Here’s why… The FOMO has been eliminated. There is no longer a “fear of missing out”. For the first time in memory, that type of FEAR is gone. There are no events, no places to be, nowhere to go…everyone is in the same boat. Our worlds are … Read more
I gave a session for the recent PASS Marathon entitled “Modern T-SQL for Better Performance.” During the session, I talked mostly about windowing functions. These functions introduced in 2005 and 2012 not only make writing T-SQL code easier, but often it’s better performing as well. In many cases, they can help you avoid self-joins and … Read more
Books are usually meant to be read in an analogue fashion. Start at page one and keep on going until the book is done. Some people take an early peek at the end of mysteries to see how they turn out, but isn’t that cheating? In today’s digital world, it isn’t easy – at least … Read more
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Compliant Database DevOps
Standardize team-based development
Automate database deployments
Monitor performance and availability
Protect and preserve data
