This video focuses on accelerated Disk Optimization and improved productivity with SQL Query Tuning.

Video created Dec. 18, 2006.

I’ve been trying hard to get more videos out the door about the SQL Server tools from Quest Software (my employer).  I’d sent a new one over to the program marketing team a while back, but it’s not showing up in the Coffee Break Bytes section like it should.  These little videos show a single feature in detail, usually taking no more than 5 minutes to watch in their entirety.

In the meanwhile, check out the excellent video series here.  And the blogs are really good too, available on the interwebs here.

Thinking about cloud computing? 

Well, there aren’t many tools out there that will make your life easier than Toad for Cloud Databases.  As is most cloud technology, this particular tool is still in beta.  But there’s no better time to help set the direction and features of a tool with as outstanding a record as Toad.  Get the details and download the beta here.

And if you like providing feedback to the development team, don’t overlook the IdeaPond where you can provide your own ideas and vote on others that are already posted.  (Currently targeted towards Oracle users, but I say let’s crash that party)!

Enjoy!

-Kevin

 Twitter @kekline

The region’s best Azure experts will teach you how to work in the cloud through training, discussion, review of real scenarios, and hands on labs. Snacks and drinks will be provided; however, you’re advised to bring an extension cord and to you to make your own lunch arrangements prior to the event.

For more information please visit www.azurebootcamp.com.

The Best Dang Design Book for SQL Server Professionals - EVER!

I thought I’d liven things up a bit with a little contest.  The rules are simple:

A. If you don’t follow me on Twitter, then follow me by clicking here.

B. If you already follow me on Twitter, then tweet the details for tonight’s event.

C. Every new follower or current follower who retweeted the details and then attends the event tonight will get a free ebook for Professional SQL Server 2008 Design and Implementation by my buddy and fellow Nashvillian Louis Davidson (blog | twitter).

As the fine print usually says, “Must be present to win”.  But just to liven things up a little bit extra, I’ll pull several names from the hat of all the folks who were NOT present but followed or retweeted the event details between now and 6:30 PM EST tonight.

Thanks and good luck!

-Kev

So I’m going to try to better, henceforth and forever more!  Two entries ago, I talked about the The 8 Characteristics of Exceptional Leaders.  This month, I’m drilling into the characteristic on that list that generated the most controversy in emails and messages – “Absolute Integrity”.  Many people took issue with the concept that integrity can be learned, instead believing that integrity is innate, like a sense of humor or a dancer’s rhythm.

What do you think?  Read the article here and weigh in with your opinion! (Be forewarned – the PASS website is free, but does require registration.  And I encourage you to do so since there are many other great resources there to take advantage of.)

Enjoy,

-Kevin

Twitter @kekline

An Osborne Executive portable computer, from 1982, and an iPhone, released 2007. The Executive weighs 100 times as much, has nearly 500 times the volume, cost 10 times as much, and has a 100th the processing power of the iPhone.

Two recent developments are helping to change that equation.  First, solid state drives (SSDs) are having a dramatic impact many IT scenarios. My friends, Brent Ozar and Paul Randall, have each written about SSDs here and here, respectively.

Second, database vendors are supporting relational database systems that run entirely in system RAM.  If you’d like to learn more about in-memory databases (IMDB), read more in my new article in Data Management Magazine.  As we look to the future, I expect to see a lot more of both technologies in the data center.

And give me your feedback here! Thanks,

-Kev

Jack Handy, famous from Saturday Night Live

Just wanted to let you know that a TechNet Radio episode and interview I did about cloud computing is now live on TechNet Edge. It was the featured spot on Thursday, June 3^rd and is also featured on the TechNet homepage.

I’ve been trying to wear more of an analyst’s hat these days, so this webcast has a lot of my “deep thinking” on issues related to cloud computing – hopefully at a higher level of quality that Jack Handy.

A salient point that I think many analysts are overlooking is the changing nature of data as it exists in the cloud.  For decades, data has primarily been about people (and their activities) for consumption by other people.  The cloud is enabling a major shift in data generation and consumption where data is produced by machines for consumption by other machines.  We’ll soon be looking at situations, now rather rare, in which sensors are extremely commonplace.  These sensors, whether they be in traffic signals or high-end medical devices, will create enormous amounts of data far more frequently than ever before, loading that data directly into cloud databases.  The cloud databases will consume and process the data and, when automated analysis (made all the easier through features like StreamInsight in SQL Server 2008 R2) will flag important findings for review by a real-live human being.  Check out the interview for several real-world examples being played out even as we speak.

Here is a direct link:

http://edge.technet.com/Media/TechNet-Radio-Microsoft-SQL-Azure-Growing-Opportunities-for-Data-in-the-Cloud/

Or  if brevity is your thing and you prefer a surrogate key over a natural key:

http://bit.ly/cdLTeP

Perhaps I can persuade you to blog, tweet, or place a link to it in your Facebook or team newsletter?  Maybe with a few deep thoughts? Please?  Pretty please?

And I welcome your deep thoughts and responses here.

Enjoy,

-Kev

Pain of the Week: SQL Server for the Oracle DBA

Webcast: SQL Server for the Oracle DBA
Date: Thursday, May 27, 2010 (Just a couple days hence!)
Time: 8 a.m. Pacific / 11 a.m. Eastern / 4 p.m. United Kingdom / 5 p.m. Central Europe
Duration: 45-60 minutes
Cost: FREE

In enterprise IT, database professionals face a mixed-bag of platforms within their environments — and the overlapping duties that go along with them. Whether you like it or not, you get asked to support Microsoft SQL Server operations even though you’re an Oracle DBA.

In this instructive webcast, experts from Microsoft and Quest with years of experience in both platforms will discuss the biggest issues and areas of interest for Oracle DBAs who need to work on Microsoft SQL Server. You’ll learn their tips and tricks for efficiency and gain a deeper understanding of SQL Server to help you add more value than ever to your organization.

Presenters:
Kevin Kline, SQL Server MVP, Quest Software
Buck Woody, Senior Technology Specialist, SQL Server, Microsoft

Pain of the Week: Easy Ways to Fix Hard SQL Server Problems – Without a Guru

Webcast: Easy Ways to Fix Hard SQL Server Problems – Without a Guru
Date: Thursday, June 17, 2010
Time: 8 a.m. Pacific / 11 a.m. Eastern / 4 p.m. United Kingdom / 5 p.m. Central Europe
Duration: 45-60 minutes
Cost: FREE
In this instructive webcast, you’ll learn straightforward methods for troubleshooting and resolving common poorly performing stored procedures and queries in SQL Server 2008. The presenters will show you how to easily:

• Read query execution plans and identify bottlenecks in performance
• Record system performance metrics for trend analysis
• Design databases and write Transact–SQL code to avoid common problems
• Understand what an index is, what it does, and how to build one
• Use industry-accepted best practices and develop your own to arrive at optimal database performance

Much of the webcast is based on Grant’s book, “SQL Server 2008 Query Performance Tuning Distilled.”

Don’t miss this chance to get practical advice from working experts instead of just theories from academics!
Presenters:
Kevin Kline, SQL Server MVP, Quest Software
Grant Fritchey, “Scary” DBA from FM Global

Everyone wants good data, but not everyone wants to work hard to get it

The team at Quest Software has created a new comic series where users can learn how Toad for Data Analysts will help you find, understand and report on data.  Plus, you can take part in a contest to win a free one-year license of TDA!

The first in the comic book series is posted here.  And there’s one each month.  If you contact me directly, I can help you get to the front of the line for the contest!

Let me be direct with you.  I love SQL Saturday.  If it were a woman, I’d marry it.  (Avoiding all extraneous thoughts of what my real wife would say, etc etc).

Check out this fun Flickr Feed from the recent SQL Saturday in Chicago or these picks by Jorge Segara (blog | twitter) to see the sort of fun that’s in store.  But who can argue with a day of free SQL Server training and a chance to network with great presenters and a wide swath of your peers?

Keynotes are more fun when the put-downs fly!

I’ve tried to support SQL Saturday as much as I can since Andy Warren (blog | twitter) launched the program a couple years back and have spoken at several.  You might say to yourself, “Self, Kevin works for a vendor. Don’t they want him to speak at as many SQL Saturdays as is humanly possible?”  Well, Mr. Self, you’d be mistaken.  You see there’s a keyword in the name that might reveal why my employer doesn’t provide unlimited enthusiasm for me to speak … it’s the SATURDAY part of the whole thing.  Yes, of course, my employer wants me there.  But they also recognize that Saturdays are my own and that, if I spend a day or two there on the weekend (including the travel time), then that’s a sacrifice of my own choice.  I would still need to be at work and on task bright and early on Monday morning.  Not that they’d make me, it’s just that my job is the sort that work is never simply skipped, it is only ever deferred.  So if I took a comp day, which they’d gladly provide, I’d still have to finish the work somehow, someway.  All of this goes to say that I really, really love SQL Saturday, the community vibe that it creates, the volunteers who drive it, the folks who attend.  So I’m happy to give up a few days throughout the year to support it.

Come to Nashville in August!

Guitar, Cowboy Boots, Cowboy Hat, and Tight Denim NOT Required

My good friends Joe Webb (blog | twitter) and Louis Davidson (blog | twitter) have been angling to host a SQL Saturday here in Nashville for quite a while.  As co-leaders of the local PASS chapter in middle Tennessee, it made a lot of sense to host an event like this.  I wasn’t at all resistant to the idea, I just didn’t want to do the work myself.  However, they did a great job of getting the ball rolling and even took on the majority of work themselves.  Together with other volunteers in our local chapter – Shelton Dickson, Roberto Lopez, and Christina Leo – we’ve all set to work to host SQL Saturday #51.

The event will be hosted on Saturday, August 21st at the shiny new facility of Nashville State Community College located at 120 White Bridge Rd. Nashville, TN 37209:

• If you’d like to attend, check out all the details here.  Joe Webb and Christina Leo get all the credit for logistics.

• If you’d like to speak, read the details in our call for speakers here.  Louis Davidson is running the program selection process.

• If you’d like to sponsor, sign up on-line here.  This one is my responsibility.

• It’s free to register, there is a $10 fee if you want us to provide lunch.  And remember, seats always fill up fast!

• If you’re going to attend and you have a twitter account, be sure to tweet using #sqlsat51!

I hope to see you there in August!