Take a walk
When I need to clear my head, I go for a walk. When I need to think about a problem, I go for a walk. When I need to plan a new talk, I go…
SQL Server 2017 Administration Inside Out
For the last five months or so, I have been helping some really smart people put words on paper, both the physical and electronic kind, which is hopefully going to culminate in an actual technical…
T-SQL Tuesday: The Contributing Factor
Ewald Cress writes: Find a person or several people to pick on, and tell us a shareable story or two about how they have made a positive contribution in your life. I’ve known Ewald for…
Compañero Conference and SQL Modernization Roadshow
October is a busy month for me. I am flying all over the US and Canada for speaking engagements to share some thoughts about migrating your SQL Server environment to the cloud (specifically Azure). Compañero…
Speaking at SQLSaturday #635 in Vancouver this weekend
This coming weekend, at SQLSaturday #635 in Vancouver BC, I will be presenting a brand new talk about Temporal Tables, one of my favourite features of SQL Server 2016+ and Azure SQL Database. If you…
Where To From Fundamentals?
The Database Fundamentals series is now done. We started with understanding what a database is, and then spent a little time understanding how databases store text, known as collation. The next step was understanding data…
SQL Server Management Studio v17.0
Version numbers are confusing. SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS), the client user interface by which most DBAs access SQL Server, was decoupled from the server product for SQL Server 2016. For the last 18 months…
Upcoming SQLSaturdays in Alberta, Canada
Taking a short break from the Database Fundamentals series of the last few weeks, I’d like to mention some upcoming PASS community events in the province of Alberta. I will be presenting at SQLSaturday #594…
SQL Modernization and Cloud Migration Talk in Calgary
On 28 February 2017, I will be speaking at Microsoft Calgary as part of a roadshow for AMTRA Solutions. Lunch will be provided. You can reserve your place for my session on Eventbrite, and there…
Data Platform MVP Award
I am pleased to announce that I was awarded the Data Platform MVP Award by Microsoft on 1 January 2017. Nothing changes with my customers. I will continue to look after you with the same…
A look back, and a look forward
Time flies. My father used to wear a t-shirt that claimed, “When you’re over the hill, you pick up speed.” I’m turning 40 in a few days. I still feel like a teenager in many…
SQL Saturday in Calgary!
I am very happy (and terrified) to announce that Calgary will host its very first SQL Saturday, #607, on 29 April 2017. Noel Tan and I are organising it (though Noel is doing all the…
Updated Max Server Memory Script
Earlier this year I released a free T-SQL script that will calculate the correct amount of RAM you should allocate to SQL Server, assuming it is a standalone instance. After attending the PASS Summit in Seattle in…
Interview Questions for a SQL Server DBA
When I’m interviewing a SQL Server DBA, I have three questions that I always ask. My favourite interview question is this: “What is the difference between a clustered and a non-clustered index?” My second favourite…
What to do at PASS Summit 2016
Next week, while blog posts are scheduled as expected, I will be attending my third PASS Summit. Summit 2014 In my first year, I attended every single event I could. The Monday night started with Steve Jones’ regular…