SQL Server has supported VLDBs (very large databases) for some time now. Back in the SQL Server 2000 days, I recall hearing multi-terabyte databases were unusual but doable. Now, they are commonplace, while databases in the hundreds of terabytes inhabit the part of the map that says "there be dragons." While VLDBs are quite common on SQL Server today, highly scalable systems that can be flexibly extended in the same fashion as Oracle/RAC are less so. So, how do you design a highly available architecture for SQL Server if it's not like Oracle/RAC. [READ MORE] … [Read more...]
DBTA: Long-Term Changes Resulting from Policy-Based Management
August 23, 2010 by Leave a Comment
It doesn’t seem like it was that long ago that my company’s IT department was bracing for a major new line of work. Back in the mid 1990s, we were going full steam into client-server technology. At the same time, we were significantly expanding our workforce. The IT department that had spent years as an old-style mainframe shop, was suddenly inundated with requests for new workstations, network user IDs, new network domains, permission requests, and requests for application access privileges. Our lone mainframe permissions person quickly felt overwhelmed and a little baffled by all of these … [Read more...]
DBTA: The New Master’s Certification from Microsoft
August 16, 2010 by Leave a Comment
In July, Microsoft announced its new advanced training and certification program known as the Master’s Certification. (Read more about it at http://www.microsoft.com/learning/mcp/master/default.mspx). I’m really excited about this new certification because it fully lives up to the standard of “the appropriate certification for the appropriate audience.” For one thing, if you’ve ever gone to a martial arts school, you may find many talented martial artists and even several black belts there, but you’ll rarely find more than one “master.” Expect this new SQL Server certification to be equally … [Read more...]
Toad for Cloud Databases Community is now live!
August 11, 2010 by Leave a Comment
Quest Software is proud to announce the launch of the Toad for Cloud Databases community site. You can also get the free Toad for Cloud product here. It's in beta, but definitely worth a try. If you've wondered what's over the horizon, I encourage you to take a look at this interview with Billy Bosworth, the head of Quest's database tools group. (Yes, he's the guy who signs my checks). We are now experiencing more disruptive technologies in the world of data than we have seen in nearly two decades. Perhaps your database is better suited for the cloud or maybe you want to investigate … [Read more...]
Good News for Women in Technology – Barbie Has Joined the IT Scene
March 10, 2010 by 3 Comments
I'm happy to report that Barbie is now a cognizeti, a digerati, ... yes even an IT Professional! This year's new Barbie is Computer Engineer Barbie. Several months back, I encouraged all my friends and followers on Twitter to vote for the IT job for Barbie in Mattel's recent public job selection for the eponymous doll. That encouragement was founded in an experience I'd had years earlier - becoming a dad to a very beautiful baby girl. When I was growing up as a kid, I clearly recall how odd it was for a woman to have a career outside of a handful of "traditional feminine jobs" like … [Read more...]
