PSA: Check Your Backups
This post comes to you from the Spanish countryside. I travel a lot these days, sometimes even for work. The best part about travelling, apart from food, is knowing that my backups are in good… PSA: Check Your Backups
AzCopy 101 – Copying SQL Server backup files to Azure Blob Storage
SQL Server 2016, released last month, now lets us back up our database files to two locations simultaneously. This is very good news if we’re running the latest and greatest (and it really is a good… AzCopy 101 – Copying SQL Server backup files to Azure Blob Storage
Do you need access to Production?
During a recent client meeting about a database migration, I realised that I have never logged into a SQL Server on their production environment. My involvement has been strictly dealing with setting up the new… Do you need access to Production?
The Transaction Log Is Very Resilient
Last week I wondered whether a log backup chain would survive a database migration. Unsurprisingly, the answer is “yes”. I also asked if a log backup taken on the new instance would be usable on… The Transaction Log Is Very Resilient
The Resilience of the Log Backup Chain
Much has been written about the log backup chain in SQL Server, where we are able to restore a database to a point in time using a combination of full, differential and transaction log backups. This… The Resilience of the Log Backup Chain
Career Limiting Moves – Reply All
In a recent episode of a Netflix show called Grace & Frankie, a vitriolic and profanity-ridden email with very damaging statements was accidentally sent to a mailing list. Fortunately for the characters involved, Siri auto-corrected… Career Limiting Moves – Reply All
Career Limiting Moves – Assigning Blame
I worked for a vendor implementation partner in the early part of my career, and oftentimes that meant having to set up a training lab, from unpacking rented PCs and plugging them in to getting… Career Limiting Moves – Assigning Blame
Career Limiting Moves – Saying No
IT departments get a lot of flak because members are accused of saying no to what staff think are perfectly reasonable requests. In this second post of my series about career limiting moves, I’m going… Career Limiting Moves – Saying No
Career Limiting Moves – Dropping a Table
In this new series, I will share some things that took place early in my career that could have resulted in my looking for new work—but didn’t! This post is also evidence that I haven’t… Career Limiting Moves – Dropping a Table
Saving Time By Splitting Files for a Backup
During a recent engagement with a client transferring large files from on premises to Azure Storage, we discovered that files over a certain size are automatically throttled, causing file uploads to take much longer than expected.… Saving Time By Splitting Files for a Backup
Expiration Date on Database Backups
What does the expiration date mean on SQL Server database backups? In SQL Server Management Studio, there’s an option in the Back Up Database wizard which explicitly provides an option for “Backup set will expire”.… Expiration Date on Database Backups
On Best Practices
We hear a lot about “best practice”, but what does it mean in the context of SQL Server? Wikipedia describes best practice as follows: A best practice is a method or technique that has been… On Best Practices
Compressed and Encrypted Backups on the Cheap
We back up our databases regularly. We store them on a secure network location so that if the database drive fails, we can still satisfy the requirements for a rapid disaster recovery time (RTO, or… Compressed and Encrypted Backups on the Cheap
Is DBCC SHRINKFILE (filename, EMPTYFILE) fully logged?
Update: Paul Randal told me I had made a mistake in my post. The correction is below. On Wednesday last week, Kenneth Fisher (b | t) asked: “Is DBCC SHRINKFILE (filename, EMPTYFILE) fully logged?” Is… Is DBCC SHRINKFILE (filename, EMPTYFILE) fully logged?
Speaking at SQLSaturday 507 this weekend in Edmonton
On Saturday 9 April 2016, four days from today, I will be speaking at the first ever SQLSaturday in the province of Alberta. Edmonton is the provincial capital, so it makes sense to have it… Speaking at SQLSaturday 507 this weekend in Edmonton