What’s Your Data Management and Retention Policy? [DBTA]

If managing your corporate data for the long term isn't currently on your mind, it should be, and in several different ways: cost, performance, business continuity, and compliance. [READ MORE] Originally posted on Jun 7, 2010 … [Read more...]

DBTA: Growing Like Weeds – Explosive SQL Server Grassroots Growth

One thing I really enjoy about the SQL Server community is its vibrancy.  I'll give you details on the SQL Server community's explosive growth in a moment, but let's start by comparing Microsoft SQL Server's user community with those of other significant database platforms. [READ MORE] Posted May 10, 2010 … [Read more...]

DBTA: The NoSQL Movement- Hype or Hope?

If you spend any time at all reading IT trade journals and websites, you've no doubt heard about the NoSQL movement.  In a nutshell, NoSQL databases (also called post-relational databases) are a variety of loosely grouped means of storing data without requiring the SQL language.  Of course, we've had non-relational databases far longer than we've had actual relational databases.  Anyone who's used products like IBM's Lotus Notes can point to a popular non-relational database.  However, part and parcel of the NoSQL movement is the idea that the data repositories can horizontally scale with … [Read more...]

DBTA: Forecasting SQL Server in 2010

After the misery  that was 2009, most of the SQL Server users I talk to are happy that 2010 started in languid fashion. Not that there isn't a lot of work to do; on the contrary, there's more work than ever. However, the long hours and multiple projects of 2009, compounded by freezes in all levels of spending, raised the general stress level to unhealthy heights. With the new year, stress levels dropped significantly, and many IT leaders see signs of improving prospects. What does that bode for 2010? I have a couple of predictions, though I doubt they'll surprise many people. [READ … [Read more...]

DBTA: The Shape of Database Licensing Costs to Come

One fall semester many years ago, I was a university freshman.  Actually, I was anything but "fresh." I was dumb enough to think that 8 a.m. was a wonderful time to attend Economics 101. After staying up until the wee hours most every night, the "dismal science" took on more than one meaning as I set my clock just early enough to get to class on time.  Along with 30 other very naïve classmates, I staggered into class and did my bleary-eyed best to focus on the lessons at hand.  There were lots of Greek compound words and lots of graphs. I learned, for example, that the word economics … [Read more...]

DBTA: Microsoft’s Trajectory for SQL Server Becomes Clear with PowerPivot

I was once asked what I thought Microsoft's overall product trajectory for SQL Server was, in light of Oracle's rather obvious trajectory of acquiring multiple application vendors who will, in turn, deploy more and more of their applications to the Oracle database platform.  To be honest, I had a little difficulty perceiving a clear and concise strategy statement for the sort of work going on in Redmond.  I could see a lot of great features being developed.  And I knew the SQL Server development team had developed a lot of new "plumbing" with each new release - features like Service Broker and … [Read more...]

DBTA: What’s the Fuss about Data Deduplication?

Listen to a group of database professionals talk for awhile and someone will eventually bring up the topic of data deduplication. Data deduplication is a means  to eliminate redundant data, either through hardware or software technologies.  To illustrate, imagine you've drafted a new project plan and sent it to five teammates asking for input.  That single file has now been reproduced, in identical bits and bytes, on a total of six computers. If everyone's email inbox is backed up every night, that's another six copies backed up on the email backup server.  Through data deduplication … [Read more...]

TN Summit 2010 – Surviving the Data Avalanche

Here's the link to my revamped presentation on Surviving the Data Avalanche The Abstract for this presentation is here. The slides for this presentation are here. … [Read more...]

DBTA: Security as an Afterthought

If you've read the IT press at all these days, you know that SQL Injection (SI) attacks are very common and can be devastatingly effective. In fact, SI attacks-equally easy to execute against Oracle, MySQL, IBM DB2, or Microsoft SQL Server-are among the most common hacks on the Internet today. If a web application runs a relational database on the backend, it can be subject to an SI attack, which ironically, is among the easiest web hacks to prevent. [READ MORE] … [Read more...]

DBTA: The Big Keep Getting Bigger

In this season of recession and financial meltdowns, a common question seems to be, "How big is ‘too big to fail'?" Titans of the financial industry made big bets with lots of risk and, when they didn't pan out, American society overall has to pay the price.  But, that aside, the very scale of our financial system, by just about every metric, has reached amazing heights, be that number of financial transactions per second, number of traders, number of funds traded, amount of money changing hands—you name it. [READ MORE] … [Read more...]