As of July 9, 2019, SQL Server 2008 and SQL Server 2008 R2 have officially passed from Extended Support to No Longer Supported. What does that mean? It means that Microsoft will no longer release any updates for any version of SQL Server 2008. That includes security patches and data integrity fixes. If a hacker…
Read more
We’re frequently asked how many tempdb files a SQL Server should have, especially from those who have downloaded our free 5 Common SQL Server Configuration Issues PDF. That’s because there’s a lot of well-intended but incorrect information posted on the internet about tempdb. What Is tempdb? Let’s start with a very brief description of tempdb. When SQL…
Read more
It’s what you learn after you know it all that really counts. – John Wooden As an avid reader and life-long learner, this quote by Coach John Wooden really speaks to me. I don’t want to wax too philosophical here, but life is a journey and we owe it to ourselves and those we influence…
Read more
Ding! Your desktop IM client chimes. “Any idea how long my SQL Server backup/restore will take to complete? I think it may be stuck.” Someone has started a database restore (or backup) using a T-SQL command. Now he wants to know how long the process will take to complete. He’s gone to the bathroom and…
Read more
“If you could change one thing about working here, what would it be?” Have you ever been asked that question? If you’ve worked for a large organization, I bet you’ve seen that question on a formal Employee Satisfaction Survey. In smaller companies, the question may come from a manager who has Googled “Good questions to…
Read more
T minus 7 days. One of the biggest events of the year for data professionals is just one week away. The PASS Summit in Seattle, Washington, kicks off on November 6, 2018. Each year the event draws thousands of attendees from around the globe for three days of intensive learning, engaging networking, and embracing camaraderie.…
Read more
“Should I install SQL Server 2017 now? Or wait until SQL Server 2019?” One of our Remote DBA clients recently asked me that question. They have a set of aging SQL Server 2008 R2 instances used for production, test, and development. SQL Server 2008 and 2008 R2 Extended Support ends July 9, 2019, and the…
Read more
Just when we thought that most cybersecurity attacks came via social engineering, we see this. Attacks on IIS, Microsoft’s web server, increased from 2,000 in Q1 2018 to over 1.7 million in Q2 2018. That’s a mind-boggling 782x increase! This is according to an esentire Security Advisory released last week. Hackers go-to tool of choice? PowerShell was the most commonly…
Read more
“I’m stuck. How can I get the experience I want when my current role doesn’t provide the opportunity I need?” That question haunted me some twenty years ago while I was in the early stages of building The SERO Group. I wanted more experience to better serve my clients and to better understand how to…
Read more
How much data can a DBA manage? According to a 2010 Forrester Research article, it’s around 5 TB of data. Since that article was written, the amount of data companies collect and store has exploded so I suspect the figure today is closer to 10 TB of data. Of course, that’s painting with broad strokes…
Read more
Recent Comments