Month: May 2011

Top 10 Keys to Deploying SQL Server on VMware

Last Updated February 9, 2017

The most successful deployments of virtual SQL Servers have a few things in common. When a company is doing all of these things, odds are they’re going to be very happy with their virtual SQL Servers: 10. Use vSphere 4.1, not earlier versions. vSphere 4.1 introduced major improvements in multi-CPU scheduling that vastly improve performance. …

I Think You’re Exceptional. No, Really.

Last Updated February 12, 2017

Brent Ozar

Professional Development

A funny thing happened on my way to becoming a judge in the 2011 Exceptional DBA Awards. But to get there, I gotta tell you a story about my dark past. I used to be a developer. No, wait, it gets worse: I coded web pages in Classic ASP, aka VBscript. My idea of reusable…

What Makes a Good Conference Session or Keynote?

Last Updated December 1, 2012

Brent Ozar

Writing and Presenting

One of our FreeCon Chicago brainstorming exercises was to talk about what makes a good training session, conference session, or keynote speech. I started it by asking a few questions. Sign of a bad session: all the cool kids would rather stay out in the hallway. Does a successful session require a packed room? I…

PASS Summit 2013 Location: Charlotte, NC!

Last Updated February 12, 2017

Brent Ozar

#SQLPass

This morning, the Professional Association for SQL Server announced that the annual Summit will be held in Charlotte, North Carolina. For the last 5 years, it’s been held in Seattle, and PASS members have protested. We wanted the Summit to move around from place to place to make it easier for other people to attend…

ROOOOOXANNE...you don't have to put on your red light....

An Inside Look at Our PASS Summit Submissions

Last Updated February 12, 2017

Brent Ozar

#SQLPass

The Professional Association for SQL Server (PASS) holds a summit every year where thousands of database professionals gather to learn about the latest developments from Microsoft, meet their fellow community members, and drink Jägermeister. This year, there’s a new way to help shape the PASS Summit – you can vote on the sessions you’d like…

Twitter #SQLHelp Hash Tag Dos and Don’ts

Last Updated May 12, 2011

Brent Ozar

If you’d like to get quick SQL Server help, the #SQLHelp hash tag is a fun way to get it. My original “How to Use the #SQLHelp Hash Tag” post hit a couple of years ago, and it’s time for a followup. Read that post first, and then come back here for some basic guidelines.…

Well, it was good, but I dunno about amazing.

Seeks, Scans, and Statistics in the Grocery Store

Last Updated July 14, 2019

Brent Ozar

Indexing, T-SQL

Building an execution plan is a lot like going shopping. Before I leave the house, I need to think about a few things: How many items do I need? I take a glance at my grocery list to see roughly how many things I’m shopping for. What stores am I going to visit? I can’t…

New Community Event by Denny Cherry: SQL Excursions

Last Updated May 4, 2011

Brent Ozar

The tech event community is growing again. Years ago, GeekCruises (now named InSight Cruises) pioneered the traincation concept, and last year SQLCruise brought that theme to the SQL Server community. The new Startup Workaway brings tech founders to Costa Rica for startup sprints – a mix of work and play. Red Gate’s SQL in the…

Which Database Is Right for Me?

Last Updated February 13, 2017

Jeremiah Peschka

Architecture

When you start developing a new application how do you pick the database back end? Most people pick what they know/what’s already installed on their system: the tried and true relational database. Let’s face it: nobody is getting fired for using a relational database. They’re safe, well understood, and there’s probably one running in the…

It’s a Lock: Due Diligence, Schema Changes, and You

Last Updated February 13, 2017

Kendra Little

Locking, Blocking, and Isolation Levels

It’s morning standup, and someone says, “It’s no big deal, we just need to add a couple of columns. It’s already in the build, it works fine.” The next time this happens, stop and say, “Let’s take a closer look at that.” When you write schema changes for a relational database, take the time to…

DBA Nightmare: SQL Server Down, No Plans

Last Updated February 13, 2017

Brent Ozar

Backup and Recovery, SQL Server

Managing data is about managing risk, but no matter how we good we are at managing risks, they’re still risks. We’ve seen several high-profile data failures recently: Sony’s database of Playstation users and financial data was hacked Amazon’s supposedly independent cloud services went down together, and some data was lost permanently The state of Texas…

Announcing Our New Weekly Community Recap Email

Last Updated May 8, 2019

Brent Ozar

SQL Server

You’re overworked. You don’t have the time to sit around reading blogs, keeping up on the latest industry news, and reading web comics. That’s where we come in. To stay on top of our game, we have to spend a couple days per week honing our skills. We’ve started a weekly email recapping the best…