Database Nonsense - Unstructured Data
Sloppy terminology leads to big misunderstandings. Terms don't get much sloppier than "Unstructured data".
2016-10-25
575 reads
Don Peterson
Is XML the Answer?
New Author! Don Peterson writes his first article for us and explores why he considers XML to be...bad! There are some interesting points made here and if you've haven't thought about what XML means to you as a DBA, it's a subject worth spending some time on.
2008-05-02 (first published: 2003-10-07)
64,747 reads
Thoughts on the PASS Summit
The 2007 PASS Summit is coming up in September and you can register early and save now, but is it worth going? Longtime author and successful DBA Don Peterson brings us a few thoughts on last year's Summit and the benefits of attending.
2007-02-19
1,894 reads
Beware of Search Argument (SARG) Data Types
Performance tuning often seems like it can be more of an art than a science. However there are a number of fundamentals that can help you tune most of the queries that you will write or have issues with their performance. Don Peterson brings us a look at how he tuned a query in the real world to avoid a conversion that can cause a query to run slower.
2006-07-13
11,851 reads
Lookup Table Madness
Are you mad? Not angry, more like crazy when it comes to designing databases in SQL Server? Don Peterson has met a few people he thinks are just that when it comes to building lookup tables. Does it stem from poor understanding of database design? Or do you disagree? Read Don's case against this particular design practice.
2006-03-24 (first published: 2004-09-08)
52,227 reads
All About Transactions - Part 3
Transactions in SQL Server are probably no more complicated than those in other RDBMS products, which is to say they are fairly complex. Don Peterson continues with part 3 of his series and takes a look at transaction isolation levels and how they interact with multiple connections and their impact on locking.
2004-12-02
15,935 reads
All About Transactions - Part 2
Transactions in SQL Server can be very complicated, and are often misunderstood. Don Peterson brings us part 2 of his series on transactions. This part deals with XACT_ABORT, compilation errors and error handling in transactions.
2004-11-24
19,706 reads
All About Transactions - Part 1
The heart of an RDBMS is the transaction system that it employs. SQL Server has a great one that can easily be misunderstood or misused by those that haven't spent time delving into the details of how it works. Don Peterson has done that and brings us the start of a new series on the details of how transactions work in SQL Server.
2004-11-15
24,876 reads
Blogs
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Question of the Day
Azure SQL Database MAXDOP
When Azure SQL Database was originally released, the MAXDOP was set to 0 for each new database. In Oct 2025, what is the default value for Azure SQL databases?
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