Guest Columnist: Tony Davis

The furore surrounding the recent release of MySQL 5.1 makes Tony Davis wonder if more than a few web 2.0 developers might be peering over the SQL Server Express fence and wondering if the grass doesn't look slightly greener over here.  Read more...

How does a DBA go about "pitching" for money for a software tool, or any other resource? And what factors affect the likelihood of success? We all think we know, but could we do this part of the job more effectively?  Read more...

Are SQL Server DBAs prone to going around boasting about the size of their BCHR? And does it have any significance?  Read more...

We can now clearly see two opposing trends in the way SQL Server is being used in applications. The dumb database brigade regards SQL Server as simply a 'data dump'. The 'database fanatics' think SQL Server on its own can meet the needs of all but the most demanding applications. Can these opposing trends be reconciled? Tony Davis would like to think so.  Read more...

Attending a conference and hearing about all the latest and greatest new features is a bit like spending holiday sampling exotic seafood and imbibing strange new cocktails. When you return, you're decidedly in the mood for a pie and a pint of beer.  Read more...

It is late evening. Something is wrong with a database. You narrow down the possibilities, getting more frustrated and puzzled. Stay calm. Check the inputs systematically. No! The data going into that table is right, but when you then read it in the table, it's wrong. Why did I stop believing in the supernatural? Then it hits you. Every time it comes as a surprise. They're using triggers.   Read more...

Many people who spend time contributing to technical forums bemoan the increasing amount of time and energy they expend trying to help people who seem unwilling or unable to help themselves. At the same time, they say, the courtesy is deteriorating and the number of people willing to "stir things up" for the sake of it increases. Is there a solution to this?   Read more...

Over the years, there have been several attempts to turn conventional RDBMSs into object relational databases, by inserting an intermediate layer. The driving force behind this was the generally-held assumption that the relational model could not handle complex data types.   Read more...

I see, with some relief that the threatened removal of Rules and Defaults in SQL Server 2008 hasn’t happened. There has been a stay of execution. Even though they are documented, they still come with a dire warning that they are deprecated and will be removed in future versions. They have fallen foul of the SQL Standards committee, and we are now supposed to use check constraints instead.   Read more...

The other day, I was chatting to a keen PostgreSQL user. We're used to having free databases, such as IBM DB2 Express-C, Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express Edition, SQLite and Oracle XE, but PostgreSQL is different in that it is open source. It is a proper, dedicated community too, I was told...  Read more...

A guest editorial from Tony Davis, on how to test whether someone will make a good DBA or developer.  Read more...

If impeccable technical skills are a "given", what are the soft shills that will make you an Exceptional DBA rather than a competent DBA?  Read more...

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There are many SQL Server DBAs with an intimate knowledge of how SQL Server works, the operating system, hardware and so on. They have the skills to keep a production system running without a hitch. It is no longer enough.   Read more...

SQL Server isn’t used much for web-based applications, simply because the cheapest ISPs use Linux and Apache for their platform. There are ISPs that provide a .NET platform and SQL Server but it is at a cost. SSDS seems to be Microsoft’s latest attempt to break into the market for database-driven websites.  Read more...

A joint editorial this week from the Red Gate team looking back at the news of the week.  Read more...

Anyone who inherits a database application dreads poorly laid-out SQL code. Development teams loathe it. Putting it right would be easier, if there was a common, agreed, standard in place, so why the difficulty?   Read more...

Subverting compliance by bankers, and SQL server 2008 Slips  Read more...

The purchase of MySQL by Sun is an interesting move by Sun, which has pondered it's own database product.  Read more...

Tony Davis offers his congratulations on a new MVP at SQLServerCentral.com and DatabaseWeekly.com.   Read more...