You may have noticed that when you create a login on a SQL server that's mapped to a Windows domain account you have to use the pre-Windows 2000 format [domain\login]. Did you also notice that there's a limitation of 20 characters on the login portion of this format?

Let's pretend… Read more

Bill Graziano just made the announcement about the changes to the bylaws being published. No sweeping changes, for the most part intended to clarify things. The remaining document that is still in progress is defining who can vote – a challenge to solve with free members and concerns about how… Read more

Thanks to Mike Walsh for really getting this started. Active August is similar to Fit February where folks endeavor to make changes in their lifestyle to get in better shape. I didn't join in on the Fit February but I do plan on getting on board for Active August.… Read more

I wrote an editorial for today on virtualization and some hints about how to plan a project. However I wonder if more people are actually thinking of implementing virtual servers. Drop a note in the comments below.

I have friends that have successfully virtualized SQL Servers in production, and I… Read more

… and by government data, I mean the mountain of data recently made available by the G-Men on Data.gov.  This site contains what must be terabytes of data on every topic from environmental measurements to crime statistics, from geographical data to labor statistics.  The Obama administration has committed to greater… Read more

I downloaded the Barnes and Noble eReader application the day I heard about it and synced up my iTouch immediately. I was curious to see how it compared to the Kindle application, especially across devices.

The install from iTunes is seemless. I "purchased" it from the app store (it's free)… Read more

We (Brian, Steve, and I) provided hosting for SQL chapters going way back…maybe 2002 or 2003, on behalf of PASS. When we sold our interest in SQLServerCentral.com to Red Gate we had to move them off the SSC domain, and we just grabbed SQLGroups.com. We didn’t do much with it… Read more

Read more

Can't make the PASS summit? Or maybe you're going but looking for something whet your appetite between now and November. How about attending one of these SQL Saturday events happening soon?

• Baton Rouge, LA – Aug 1
• South Florida (Miramar, FL) – Aug 8
• Redmond, WA – Oct 3…

Read more

I saw an article from Certification Magazine recently (via Trainsignal on twitter) with that title. It compared the completion of certification to that of a marathon runner. You've completed a marathon, after all the training, and now what?

I'm not sure that's a great comparison, but it does… Read more

Sometime in the next couple weeks will mark the beginning of the 30 day period where we accept nominations for the PASS Board of Directors, see www.sqlpass.org for the details. I thought I’d write just a little bit about what it’s like to be on the Board, what qualities I think… Read more

Steve Lane and team from Tallahassee are hosting their annual Code Camp on Sep 5, 2009, and have asked if we could also run a SQLSaturday at the same time, probably a 1-2 track event. There is not currently a SQL user group in Tallahassee which makes it an interesting… Read more

Read more

Read more

As part of my work I need to be a “Jack of all trades” meaning I not only need to be able to do SQL Server DBA and development tasks, but I also need to be capable of doing .NET and VFP development.  Yes, I did say VFP (Visual FoxPro… Read more

Read more

Read more

Here are some steps to fixing an issue I ran into with Window 7 and Reporting Services 2008.  The problem was when I attempted to access the Report Server or Report Manager from my browser I received the error HTTP 404 Not Found.  I didn’t find a direct answer on… Read more

Are you tired of the same old Microsoft news feed when you open Visual Studio (BIDS)?  Why not go ahead and update it so you every time you load VS you get news that you’re actually interested in.  I’ve changed my news feed to display all the SQL Server Central… Read more

I have an iTouch, and I recently downloaded the Kindle app to give it a try after I broke my Kindle device. It was kind of a knee jerk reaction since I was in the middle of Team of Rivals, War and Peace, and Wicked Prey at the time. My… Read more