T-SQL Tuesday 153 Roundup: The Conference That Changed Everything

I received a great collection of blog posts in response to T-SQL Tuesday 153 which I kicked off on Tuesday, August 2nd – asking you to write about a conference or event that had a significant event on their life. As one of the small handful of people who attended every PASS Summit from its founding through the pandemic lockdown, I've witnessed so many transformational experiences firsthand. Human beings are social creatures and though we as IT pros like to focus on hard technology skills first and foremost, I think we can all admit that having a great social experience at a conference like … [Read more...]

T-SQL Tuesday 153 Invite: The Conference That Changed Everything For Me

T-SQL Tuesday is the blog party started by Adam Machanic (b|t) over a decade ago and is now maintained by Steve Jones (b|t) on tsqltuesday.com. On the first Tuesday of each month, a blogger hosts the party and suggests a topic. Anyone interested in the topic gets to blog about it. You have one week to write your blog post. It has to go live on the second Tuesday of the month, in this case August 9th. The host then compiles a list of posts and creates a blog post, for a summarized read. It is a great way to get thinking on subjects you may not have thought of, read other people’s ideas on … [Read more...]

DBTA – Keep Up With the Latest SQL Server Updates

Here’s one big advantage to moving to Microsoft Azure SQL Database—you never have to patch. That’s right. The various SKUs available in Azure’s Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) offering are automatically always kept up-to-date with the latest updates In fact, with Microsoft’s “cloud first” product development strategy, new code is deployed to Azure first and then made available to on-premise versions of SQL Server after. And, if you want to live on the bleeding edge of technology afnd act as a “canary in the coal mine,” you can work with your Microsoft liaison to run your workload in its specially … [Read more...]

DBTA – Azure Cosmos DB Adds Features and Free Tier

I’ve kept you informed over the years about not just the latest news and features in SQL Server, but across the entire Microsoft Data Platform, both on-premise and in the cloud This includes additional products such as SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS), SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS), and their cloud siblings, Azure Synapse Analytics, and Azure Data Factory (ADF). Another important and powerful sibling product is Azure Cosmos DB, previously dknown as Document DB, which I first wrote about here many years ago. WHAT IS COSMOS DB? Click HERE to read more … [Read more...]

SQL Server 2008 End of Life: What Are Your Support Options?

It’s no secret that Microsoft wants us to move off old and unsupported versions of SQL Server. It’s good for their bottom line. But it is definitely not simply a money grab To be hones, as a Mdicrosoft Data Platform MVP and an independent software vendor (ISV), I also want you to move off old, unsupported versions of SQL Server. Why, you might ask? For the same reasons that Microsoft does from a technical perspective—supporting a never-ending parade of software versions makes life harder and harder. Consider the test matrix for ISVs to ensure that their app can work for both old and new … [Read more...]

Join Me for Office Hours, Online Learning, and Conversation

After some internal conversations last week, the rest of the SentryOne team and I decided to kick it up a notch with more knowledge sharing and more opportunities for conversation and fellowship. With all the stress of the global pandemic, I look forward to a bit of extra carousing and kibitzing with y’all. Announcing Monthly Open Office Hours Click HERE to read more … [Read more...]

Webinar Recap: SQL Server Indexing for Developers and Accidental DBAs

Have you been tasked with making queries run faster? Indexes can often help with query performance, but do you know where to start. Good news! I recently participated in a SentryOne webinar with SQL Server expert, Sebastian Meine, Ph.D., on "SQL Server Indexing for Developers and Accidental DBAs."  Click HERE to read more … [Read more...]

Webinar Recap: Introduction to SQL Server Query Tuning

If you find yourself asking questions like, "How do I know if a query is running efficiently?" or, "What metrics and indicators tell me when a query is misbehaving?" then you need to watch my recent webinar Introduction to Query Tuning During the webinar, I walked through how to assess query performance, guarantee a consistent query tuning process, and avoid common performance killers in SELECT statements running on Microsoft SQL Server and Azure SQL Database. I demonstrated query tuning with both SSMS and the free SentryOne tool, Plan Explorer. Click HERE to read more … [Read more...]

Book a SentryOne Database Expert to Speak at Your Virtual Meeting

We’re all doing the best we can in this time of global pandemic. Times are tough, both from a health and economic point of view. On behalf of everyone here at SentryOne, I want to take a moment to encourage you that we will get through this. It will not be easy. And the aftershocks of this once-in-a-century event will reverberate for a long time to come. Despite all the difficulties, we do have a few things to be thankful for, such as the fact that as IT pros, much of our work and learning can take place online. Expert Speakers and a Vast Library of Topics Click HERE to read … [Read more...]

SQL Server Troubleshooting Horror Stories and Lessons Learned

If you spend any time with veteran SQL Server DBAs, you’ll hear troubleshooting horror stories that will make you cringe. I recently moderated a two-part SentryOne webinar, “SQL Server Troubleshooting Horror Stories and Lessons Learned,” which included a panel of renowned industry thought leaders from SQLskills: Paul Randal, Kimberly Tripp, Jonathan Kehayias, Erin Stellato, and Tim Radney.  Also lyrica help me how to order pregabalin Click HERE to read more … [Read more...]