Training is an important part of anyone's life in technology, especially if you are a SQL Server DBA or developer. With the release of 2005, the entire paradigm of working with SQL Server has changed and you need to be working on your own personal knowledge base. Steve Jones takes a look at how you can get training and shake the funding loose as well.   Read more...

Should IT managers understand technical issues, or is a full appreciation of the technology somehow unworthy and unnecessary for senior staff? In such a rapidly changing industry where fortunes are made and lost by attempting to exploit gaps in the market too thin to see with the naked eye, the answer would seem obvious. However, I have repeatedly come across amazing gaps in the technical knowledge of managers.  Read more...

Phil Factor on why he is happy to gamble on your career…  Read more...

One of the hard parts of being a consultant, either full time or after hours for extra money, is finding a job. SQLServerCentral.com has a new partner that can help you solve this problem, find a job, and maybe a new career.   Read more...

There is a world of difference between the business processes that really take place in a company and the management's understanding of those processes…  Read more...

Doug Reilly gives his personal perspective on the responsibilities of a cancer-surviving software developer.  Read more...

One of the best programmers I ever met was referred to, in Essex jargon, as being ‘two stops short of Dagenham’ (Barking)*. This was once no obstacle to the world of work…the best development teams I’ve worked on embraced the whole gamut of humanity   Read more...

How should you interview for that new DBA job? What is appropriate and what should you leave out? Steve Jones shares some advice on interviewing that has helped him in his career.   Read more...

there are occasions in all of our working lives when sitting through a PowerPoint presentation is inevitable. Fortunately, there are techniques for feigning interest, many of which have developed over hundreds of years. All you need is a handful of like-minded colleagues with a sporting attitude  Read more...

New Author! And long time reader - Jeffrey was site member #712, almost 3 years and 130,000 members ago! This article describes the skills needed to progress from junior to intermediate to senior DBA.   Read more...

The final installment of Steve Jones' series on employee retention. This one examines the employee point of view in looking for and finding the ideal job, which you will then want to look at the other techniques to ensure you are employed for a long time.   Read more...

Simple Talk's newest commentator, Phil Factor, reveals the dark side of hiring database specialists: "Soon after he had been shown his desk in our crowded, open-plan IT office, he began laughing out loud, sporadically and inappropriately, while reviewing code. It wasn't my code, so I didn't mind."   Read more...

The fourth part of Steve Jones series looking at employee retention. In this article, he examines a few techniques that can help the employee ensure their own retention.   Read more...

We started a trend with our Worst Practices, looking at things you should not do instead of those you should. Sean McCown has taken that to a new level looking at some things that you can do to ensure you don't get your next job. Read about a few things that you might avoid in your next interview.   Read more...

In a followup to the recent articles and discussions on interviewing and DBA skills, Sean McCown brings us a new article that looks at one situation that resulted in a rejection. Learn what you might want to work on before your next interview.   Read more...

Part 3 of Steve Jones' series on employee retention, this one focused on the manager's point of view in keeping employees around. Gain some insight into how the manager may view your situation and understand why he or she may act as they do.   Read more...

Written by an Oracle guy, but it's still some good advice for people that want to be DBAs. If you're experienced, pass it along to others that are looking to move into this role.   Read more...

We've spent quite some time investigating career issues for SQL Server DBAs lately. I've received quite a few emails from friends on their adventures in interviewing and now Sean McCown shares an experience he had interviewing a few prospective DBAs.   Read more...

Why should a SQL Server DBA want to keep their job? It seems obvious, but Steve Jones continues with his series on employee retention by taking a look at it from the employee side.   Read more...

Retrieving the identity value from an inserted row should be a very simple task. But based on his survey at TechEd 2005 as well as some recent interviews, Andy Warren points out some of the wrong answers and turmoils he has faced in getting this question answered.   Read more...