SQL Server is good. You install it, give it some databases to manage, and let it do it’s thing. When queries come in, it figures out how to resolve them. If it needs some statistics, it creates them. If the database is running out of space, it’ll grow the data file for you. Automatically. And…
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How do you justify investment in IT? That’s a commonly asked question for companies whose core business area is not technology. For many, it is a challenge to justify investment in technology. The primary purpose of IT, as some companies see it, is enabling the operation of the business. It’s not driving revenue. Every business,…
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Microsoft SQL Server is popular. Statistics vary as to just how popular, but most agree that it is one of the most popular database platforms in the world. And for good reason. It’s feature rich, very reliable, highly scalable, and can be made extremely secure. All good things. According to a 2022 survey conducted by…
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If you’ve worked with SQL Server for very long, you’re probably familiar with the concept of indexes. Indexes can help speed up queries by allowing SQL Server to quickly locate specific data values within a table. Indexes are typically much smaller than their underlying tables so they can be searched much more efficiently. (They aren’t…
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Coach John Wooden is a legend. He led his beloved UCLA Bruins to ten NCAA National Championships in twelve years. That is an unparalleled accomplishment in any sport, in any endeavor really. So, I began wondering: what if Coach Wooden led a team of DBAs? What would he do? How Coach Wooden’s approach applies to…
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“If three people are responsible for feeding the dog, the dog is going to starve. You must have clear areas of responsibility.” In his book Risk, retired United States Army General Stanley McChrystal shared this quote. It’s from a mentor he had as a young officer. And It helped shape his career. As a family…
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I was on my morning walk recently when I noticed this laying on the walking path. Some call it a binky. Others a pacifier or fooler. Whatever you call it, it’s an essential piece of equipment for some infants. Without it, their world falls apart. And the calamity is contagious. They, and everyone around them,…
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In today’s world, we are constantly bombarded with a never-ending stream of urgent tasks and deadlines. It’s easy to get caught up in the daily grind and lose sight of the big picture. This is where inertia comes into play. And inertia can put your SQL Servers at risk. How urgency creates inertia Inertia is…
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I’m not really a car guy. My daily driver is 10 years old but it serves me well. It’s reliable. It gets me where I want to go and back again. And I want to keep it that way so I maintain it. I change the oil regularly, I rotate the tires almost as often,…
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Are you a seasoned DBA that’s feeling a bit stagnant? Or maybe a junior DBA who wants to elevate her DBA game? Perhaps, you’re an “Accidental DBA,” someone whose primary role is something besides DBA yet you’re being asked to take care of the database in your spare time? Wherever you are in your career,…
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