The transaction log is a fairly complex construct in SQL Server and present in every database installation. New author James Rea brings us a great introduction to how the log works and how to maintain it.  Read more...

Part two of his series on table schema changes, this article examines those changes that affect the actual data. Read this great article from Alok Dwivedi.  Read more...

What happens behind the scenes when you alter a table schema? New author Alok Dwivedi dives deep into SQL Server to show us how things are affected.  Read more...

What does ANSI_PADDING mean and how does it affect my SQL Server database?  Read more...

Even BI novices can learn what goes into creating a BI solution, from planning and designing a data mart to preparing data. An Adventure Works example illustrates the first steps a company can take to ensure that its BI solution supports the strategic decisions it needs to make. Stacia Misner  Read more...

Join BI Architect Bill Pearson as he continues his overview of Attribute Discretization, within his extended examination of the dimensional model lying at the heart of the integrated Microsoft Business Intelligence solution. In this article, we begin a hands-on overview of the use of the Automatic discretization method.  Read more...

This Friday, Steve Jones looks for opinions on what you think of the T-SQL language. Is it well structured or does it really need help?  Read more...

Visit ten randomly picked customers that own a data warehouse architecture, and you will see that at least eight have developed a classic data warehouse architecture (CDWA). What do I mean by a CDWA? In a CDWA, data is copied periodically from production systems to the central data warehouse.  Read more...

Steve Jones reacts to the announcement of "fabrics" in the future of SQL Server.  Read more...

Steve Jones reacts to the announcement of "fabrics" in the future of SQL Server.  Read more...

Steve Jones reacts to the announcement of "fabrics" in the future of SQL Server.  Read more...

What does ANSI_PADDING mean and how does it affect my SQL Server database?  Read more...

The transaction log is a fairly complex construct in SQL Server and present in every database installation. New author James Rea brings us a great introduction to how the log works and how to maintain it.  Read more...

Building a data warehouse usually isn't a small project, but somehow management sometimes sees it as something that can quickly eb done with a tool or two. Longtime DBA Janet Wong brings us a look at some of the problems you might face when getting ready to embark on this type of project.   Read more...

Usually a data warehouse is used for some sort of Business Intelligence system. Data warehousing experts Vincent Rainardi and Amar Gaddam bring us another great article on warehousing with a look at how a warehouse might be used for a CRM system.   Read more...

When loading a data warehouse, handling the ETL process of working with files can be problematic. Longtime DBA Janet Wong brings us an interesting solution that is flexible and efficient for quickly loading a number of files into a warehouse using DTS.   Read more...

Developing an effective solution requires quality within and across all components of the BI architecture.   Read more...

A primary objective of any analytic architecture is business enablement - the ability to provide business users with access to quality information that can be used to drive decision-making.  Read more...

Smart CFOs and CIOs should consider making mobile BI available to employees as a way to improve productivity, extend BI adoption and improve operational efficiencies.   Read more...

This article provides an architecture and process framework to ensure data quality in a data warehousing environment.  Read more...

Part two of his series on table schema changes, this article examines those changes that affect the actual data. Read this great article from Alok Dwivedi.  Read more...

Visit ten randomly picked customers that own a data warehouse architecture, and you will see that at least eight have developed a classic data warehouse architecture (CDWA). What do I mean by a CDWA? In a CDWA, data is copied periodically from production systems to the central data warehouse.  Read more...

What happens behind the scenes when you alter a table schema? New author Alok Dwivedi dives deep into SQL Server to show us how things are affected.  Read more...