Briefly: Significant Personnel Moves Inside of Microsoft Azure

Briefly: Dream Team Forms Around Azure If you're wondering whether to hedge your long-term bets on cloud computing, this should help you solidify your thinking. Microsoft has been building a dream team for Azure, including the patriarch of Windows (and father of Windows NT) Dave Cutler.  Tweets from several Microsofties reveal that another revered technologist, Mark Russinovich of SysInternals fame has also joined the team.  When almost all of the heavy hitters in a company like Microsoft go to work on a single exciting new technology, you can easily tell which direction the wind is … [Read more...]

It’s Birthday Season at Casa De Kline

Professionally, summer is one of the busiest times of year for me since there are multitudes of customers to visit and conferences to speak at.Personally, summer is also very busy for me because it's a parade of birthdays and other significant dates. It's hard to keep up with all of it!Dylan Turns 19It's always a bit of a shock for me when I compare where Dylan is at his age to where I was at the same age.At 19, I held two part time jobs (one was selling shoes on commission at the wonderful but now defunct Castner Knotts department store and the other was running my own computer pc-clone … [Read more...]

Video: Disk Tuning and Optimization for SQL Server

This video focuses on accelerated Disk Optimization and improved productivity with SQL Query Tuning. Video created Dec. 18, 2006. … [Read more...]

The All New LiteSpeed

LiteSpeed for SQL Server version 6.0 was released in June 2010 and includes these key features: Fast Compression Backups – Fast Compression is Quest’s patent-pending backup technology which significantly reduces backup times, improves database recoverable, and automatically reduces a database’s backup footprint by up to 85 percent over and above the backup compression algorithms already in the product. Network Resiliency – Backups will still succeed after network interruptions. User can also customize the number of retries and wait period for a finer level of control. Easier Restores … [Read more...]

New Fast Features Video – Toad for SQL Server

Fast Features for Quest Tools. Someday soon, I promise. 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 … [Read more...]

It’s the Atlanta Attendance Contest!

I'm speaking tonight on Top 10 Mistakes DBAs Make at the Atlanta SQL Server User Group meeting in Alpharetta, GA.  You can find all of the details here. 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 … [Read more...]

Now on SQLPASS, “Can Integrity Be Learned?”

Ok, I admit it.  I've done about as good a job publicizing my monthly professional development column, Plays Well With Others, as NBC did when the transitioned Jay Leno back to the Tonight Show. 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 … [Read more...]

In-Memory Databases (IMDBs)

Moore's Law tells us that CPU's get a LOT faster over time.  Unfortunately for the database professional, all of the secondary elements of our databases DO NOT get a lot faster over time.  Overall, the main methods of storing data since the 1960's, magnetic tape and hard disks, have improved only in the single percentiles year over year.  Even those of us who were never good at math can tell that the CPU is outpacing the other system components. Two recent developments are helping to change that equation.  First, solid state drives (SSDs) are having a dramatic impact many IT scenarios. … [Read more...]

Live! TechNet Radio: Microsoft Cloud Services – SQL Azure

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 3rd 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 … [Read more...]

Toad Just Keeps Getting Better

Toad for SQL Server Wins Best of TechEd 2010 in the Database Development Category Toad and I go way back.  I first started with Toad as a user on the Oracle DBMS back in the early 1990's.  When I started at Quest Software back on January 2nd of 2002, one of the first products I tackled as a SQL Server product architect was Toad.  How do we make this very popular Oracle product one that users in the SQL Server world will love too?  And this challenge was made that much harder by the fact that Microsoft SQL Server ships with fantastic tools right there in the box.  I haven't worked directly on … [Read more...]