I had the pleasure of being a guest on the SQL Data Partners podcast, available wherever you get your podcasts. In my case, I get this podcast straight from LinkedIn. It's a very informative and often fun podcast put on by three friends of mine from the Microsoft Data Platform MVP program: Carlos Chaco, Kevin Feasle, and Eugene Meidinger. These fellows are all geniuses in their own right. Follow them on social media and follow their blogs! (Click the image below to hear the podcast). Early in my career when I worked for the U.S. DoD, I had the good fortune to experience the development … [Read more...]
Observability: The Central Watchtower for Your All-Seeing IT Needs
June 19, 2024 by Leave a Comment
As we were closing out 2023, I wrote the article Observability: The Central Watchtower for Your All-Seeing IT Needs for DevOps.com. I've enclosed the first few paragraphs below, but I'd love for you to read the entire article and provide your feedback and thoughts. Enjoy! -Kevin If there’s something you need to keep secure, it’s natural to want to keep it sealed away under lock and key. However, even keeping something in a vault, far from prying eyes and ill intent, may not be enough to offer peace of mind. After all, how can you have the peace of mind of knowing it’s safe if you don’t … [Read more...]
SQL Server 2016 – The Cool is in the Tool (SSMS That is)
November 28, 2017 by Leave a Comment
SQL SERVER 2016 – THE COOL IS IN THE TOOL (SSMS THAT IS) As a heavy user of other RDBMS data platforms, I have long appreciated the extra effort that Microsoft put into their data management and administration tool, the SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS). While SSMS is an outstanding administration and T-SQL programming tool, it does have its minor qualms and quibbles. READ MORE... Originally Posted September 02, 2016 … [Read more...]
SQL Server 2016 is Simply Faster… A Lot Faster
November 22, 2017 by Leave a Comment
SQL SERVER 2016 IS SIMPLY FASTER…A LOT FASTER I had the pleasure to spend some time with my old friend Mark Souza, a general manager in the Data Platform team at Microsoft, while speaking at the SQL Saturday event in Dublin, Ireland in the summer of 2016. Now keep in mind that Mark and I have known each other since the 1990s when SQL Server was just being ported to a brand new operating system called Windows NT. Mark and I were having a laugh and more than a twinge of nostalgia about how much SQL Server has improved over the decades and now sits atop the heap on most analysts' "best database" … [Read more...]
U-SQL and the Azure Data Lake
November 21, 2017 by Leave a Comment
U-SQL AND THE AZURE DATA LAKE There's a new buzzword on the loose, the data lake. At first glance, a data lake could be easily mistaken for a data warehouse. The two big data concepts have a common focus on analytics and they may, in certain situations, produce roughly equivalent output. But that's about where their similarities end. READ MORE... Originally Posted July 12, 2016 … [Read more...]
SQL Server on Linux – It’s No Joke
November 14, 2017 by Leave a Comment
SQL SERVER ON LINUX – IT’S NO JOKE Many thought it was an early April Fool's Day prank, but it was no joke: On March 7, 2016, Microsoft announced the beta release of SQL Server on Linux with the intention of shipping a full release of the product in 2017. READ MORE... Originally Posted May 04, 2016 … [Read more...]
They Did it Again – The Release of SQL Server 2017
October 27, 2017 by Leave a Comment
THEY DID IT AGAIN – THE RELEASE OF SQL SERVER 2017 Not only has the Microsoft SQL Server engineering team added more and stronger leadership, outstanding individual engineers and staff members, but it is also radically moving its entire development process into a "cloud-first" ethos. Now, I'd like to show one of the most salient results of this new development process-accelerated product releases. It was only a few years ago (and is still the case for other data management platforms) that a major new release takes at least 2, but more likely 3 years. With the "production-ready" release of SQL … [Read more...]
Surprising but True: the Basics are Still Difficult
October 20, 2017 by Leave a Comment
SURPRISING BUT TRUE: THE BASICS ARE STILL DIFFICULT I always look forward to new research from Unisphere Research, a division of Information Today, Inc., publishers of this magazine and other great products for data professionals. The latest report which you should read is "SQL Server Transformation: Toward Agility & Resiliency 2017; PASS Database Management Survey." READ MORE... Originally Posted April 07, 2017 … [Read more...]
Dynamic Data Masking and Row-Level Security Features on the Way in SQL Server 2016
October 17, 2017 by Leave a Comment
DYNAMIC DATA MASKING AND ROW-LEVEL SECURITY FEATURES ON THE WAY IN SQL SERVER 2016 In addition to StretchDB and AlwaysEncrypted, there are two more exciting features in the works for SQL Server 2016: dynamic data masking and row-level security. In the case of these two features, they'll be released first to the cloud platform (Azure SQL Database) and, later, to the on-premises version of SQL Server. READ MORE... Originally Posted December 02, 2015 … [Read more...]
Revisiting PASS Summit 2015
October 10, 2017 by Leave a Comment
PASS SUMMIT 2015: THE AGE OF THE DATA PROFESSIONAL IS NOW The PASS Summit 2015, the largest conference in the Microsoft SQL Server world, was held in October in Seattl, WA. The event provided a look at key initiatives that Microsoft's SQL Server group has been working on and a glimpse of what's ahead for the future. READ MORE... Originally Posted November 09, 2015 … [Read more...]
