Is Microsoft trying to move away from just being a software vendor? It seems they'd like to and that's a goal, but are they moving in the right direction? Steve Jones has a few ideas to help them.  Read more...

Powershell is a great tool for helping you work with multiple instances of SQL Server. This week Steve Jones talks about how and why you might want to get started.  Read more...

Do you use version control for your databases? For your application code? Is there a time when you think it's not needed? Steve Jones asks the question today.   Read more...

There's an idea of using false passwords with real accounts, honeywords, that can help us detect security issues with our servers. Is that worth implementing in SQL Server?  Read more...

There is plenty of competition in the database platform space for SQL Server. There's a new NuSQL platform, whose vendor hopes will replace SQL Server as the platform of choice in the cloud. However Steve Jones isn't sure this will be the case.  Read more...

Steve Jones sees a problem with the Azure platform. It's one that he thinks is limiting adoption, and may become a big problem for Microsoft at some point.  Read more...

The way we write code impacts our users, but it can also impact our wallet, especially in cloud computing. Steve Jones wonders how many people bother to profile and test their code.  Read more...

Phil Factor on three "sanity checks" that any data scientist must perform in order to prevent businesses from interpreting data analysis errors, or fraudulent activity, as real trends.  Read more...

A picture can express a thousand words. That's a phrase that many of us understand well, and one we embrace when we try to present large amounts of data in reports and dashboards. This week Steve Jones asks you what visualizations you use.  Read more...

After a recent trip, Steve Jones noted a problem somewhere with the way airlines are handling passenger data.  Read more...

A future world where the machines rule, as shown in films like Terminator and the Matrix, isn't what most people want. However the fears of machines taking over much of our world are very real. Steve Jones thinks it's not as bad as you might believe.  Read more...

With all the talk about Big Data recently, Steve Jones looks at some of the issues with Big Data and how small data might be more important to you.  Read more...

Research in industry can help a company leap ahead of it's peers. Steve Jones thinks this is a good idea for many companies to engage in and highlights some of the great work being done at Microsoft Research.  Read more...

The state of cloud computing is confusing and unstable. Steve Jones has a few thoughts about the good and bad things in this industry.  Read more...

There is a lot of data out there that is specific to an individual, none more important perhaps than biometric data. Steve Jones writes a bit about the security implications involved in working with this data. (This editorial was originally published on Nov 10, 2008. It is being re-run as Steve is at SQL Bits.)  Read more...

A new application manages data from your IT machines and software, but doesn't use a database. Steve Jones talks a little about this. (This editorial was originally published on Jan 20, 2009. It is being re-run as Steve is at SQL Bits.)  Read more...

Even planning allows for failure, sometimes you can't see everything else where you're standing.   Read more...

What is the most important DBA Skill?  Read more...

There are many people trying to make the world better for others. Bono is one of them, with the elimination of hunger as his goal. He calls himself a "factivist" trying to use data to inspire others to join him.  Read more...

While backup to the Cloud may be useful in terms of optimizing storage across the enterprise, for DBAs it remains essential that they retain fast, easy, access to the backup files. Azure Explorer is a free tool that might help.  Read more...