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...

Does vacation cause extra stress at your job before or after you leave? Steve Jones asks a poll question this Friday to see how you feel. This editorial was originally published on June 12, 2008. It is being re-run as Steve is traveling.  Read more...

Travel can be stressful and complicated. As much as computer systems have made things easier, when they fail, your trip can turn awful in a hurry.  Read more...

Can you own data itself or patent it? There's a Supreme Court case dealing with this right now. Steve Jones notes that the outcome could affect our jobs as we deal with more and more data and laws to control data are enacted.  Read more...

There are any number of ways to help your career move forward. Steve Jones talks about one way you might not have thought about today.  Read more...

A bad workman always blames his tools. So does the entire western media, it seems, as poor old Excel gets it in the neck for some appalling calculation errors in economic papers.  Read more...

A billion transactions is a lot of activity on your database, however Steve Jones thinks more and more of us might see this on a regular basis. Microsoft's facilities group shows this to be the case.  Read more...

Are many people upgrading to SQL Server 2012? Is it worth the cost for your company for any existing instances? Steve Jones asks the question this week.  Read more...

When someone asks for interview questions on the web, it seems many people are upset. But should they be? Steve Jones points out there are different sides to this.  Read more...

Microsoft might be changing their patching process for applications. This has Steve Jones worried they may move towards an Apple/iOS like model, which would not be good for server systems.   Read more...

If you want to further your career, you can't be a ghost. Steve Jones talks about the ways in which so many people might end up hurting their careers by trying to keep their lives too private.  Read more...

Microsoft Research has a variety of interesting projects underway, including one to try and model the Earth. Many of these involve lots of data in some way, and would be interesting projects to work on, according to Steve Jones.  Read more...

Either data is right or it is wrong. There is no in-between. Phil Factor examines a recent scandal that hit the health care system in the UK to highlight why it's so important that we, as data professionals, ensure responsible use of data and respect for data quality.  Read more...

The environment in which we work can have an affect on the way in which we work. Steve Jones asks today if you have a preference for your environment.  Read more...

All software has default values, some of which might not suit your environment. This is especially true with regards to security settings.  Read more...

What's important in an IT employee? Steve Jones talks about the skills and measurements CIOs want today and tomorrow. Today's editorial was originally released on July 22, 2008. It is being re-published as Steve is at SQL Intersection.  Read more...

Does your IT organization bring value to your company? Steve Jones takes a look at some of the ways you can do this. This editorial was originally published on July 2, 2008. It is being re-published as Steve is at SQL Intersection.  Read more...