There is a way to view the size of a particular PDW database using the  DBCC_pdw_showspaceused command via the NEXUS query editor.  Executing the steps below will allow the developer to view sizes (in Mb) for the following columns:

Reserved_Space
Data_Space
Index_Space
Unused_Space
PDW_Node_ID

Follow the steps below in NEXUS… Read more

I should know. I was one of the judges of this year’s Exceptional DBA of the Year award. I had to read through tons and tons of submissions and help to arrive at a final list of people who truly personify the concept of both the DBA and the exceptional… Read more

One of the security recommendation inside SQL Server Security Best Practice white paper for guest user is that, to disable guest access in every database (expect “master”, “msdb” and “tempdb”) on SQL Server instance, and it should not be used in any circumstances. By default, guest user exists in all… Read more

It’s close to that time of year again.  It’s time for a SQL Saturday in Minnesota and this… it isn’t happening on a Friday.  Yes, this year PASSMN has opted to instead have the SQL Saturday on a Saturday.  If you’ve followed this event in Minnesota for the past few… Read more

I presented a session at the SQL Saturday event in Oklahoma City last weekend. The event itself was pretty good. The organizers put everything together pretty well and the venue was quite nice. Plus, since I grew up in Oklahoma (Tulsa), it was a chance to go home. The event… Read more

I was recently making some changes to my laptop setup and installing SQL Server 2008R2 and SQL Server 2012 directly on the computer rather than on my VM. In the case of my setup I had already installed the client tools for 2008R2 and 2012 on my laptop. So in… Read more

I read a note posted on the OPASS LinkedIn site today about our upcoming SQLSaturday and the two pre-cons by Stacia Misner and Kevin Kline. I say and think pre-cons, but does the new DBA? Their boss? Seminar, One Day Class, or something else, we need to call it… Read more

This is one of the things in my Encryption Primer presentation that I don’t demo. It’s really easy to do, and it’s rather mechanical, so I just show the image that has the steps from MSDN and leave it at that.

However there are a few things I wanted to… Read more

I recently had the need to script the execution of a command-line utility and thought it would be a good learning experience to try doing it with PowerShell.  The utility would sometimes output to the STDOUT, but would also send its output to STDERR if there was a problem.  This… Read more

For months I’ve been itching to get the latest version of SQL Server, thanks to the addition of new functionality on the OLTP side that I can make use of, like FileTables and the new windowing functions. Two Fridays ago, I finally got my copy of SQL Server 2012 Developer… Read more

There are a few basic pitfalls that can be avoided when developing or migrating T-SQL queries into Microsoft’s Parallel Data Warehouse (PDW) environment. Like anything else, with proper planning and attention to detail, one can side-step two significant PDW perils more commonly known (or much less commonly known) as the… Read more

I love San Francisco. It was one of the cities that I thought I might live in someday. My kids have all been there multiple times, exploring museums, crossing the amazing Golden Gate Bridge, visting Muir Woods and more. When I heard SQL in the City was coming to S.F,… Read more

Did you know that it’s election season for PASS?  Did you know that you can pose questions to the potential candidates via the Election Forums?  The NomCom is busy interviewing candidates and is offering you the opportunity to ask the candidates question, via the NomCom.  Do you have a… Read more

With the preview of SharePoint 2013 now available, I have updated my post SQL Server 2012: Installing on a Virtual Machine to use SharePoint 2013 instead of SharePoint 2010.  If you would like to get a head start on learning what is new with SharePoint 2013 and Excel 2013, follow… Read more

PASS SQL Saturdays are free 1-day training events for IT professionals interested in Microsoft SQL Server, providing a variety of high-quality technical sessions, all happen through the efforts of local volunteers.  The leadership team of the local chapter of PASS here in Nashville (Facebook | LinkedIn) have worked… Read more

One big question I have gotten often is “I need data, what kind of reports do you have?” It is a valid question from a user, especially with a server that may gave hundreds of reports. The solution? Create a Reports Catalog Report. I have provided the simple instructions and…

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I’ve been with my current client for just over a year and I still get calls for the previous occupant from vendors, credit card companies, etc. I know that calling is how they figure out the person has moved on, but I get tired of the calls. It goes something… Read more

If you haven’t reviewed the list, head to the PASS Election Page. One incumbent, two appointees, one previous candidate, and one new candidate. All still have to be vetted by the Nominating Committee over the next week or so, then on to the election which starts on September 28th.… Read more

 

As a DBA, when can you consider yourself as a senior DBA?

If you read online posts, you will find most of the time, a senior DBA is judged by “Do you know this and do you know that?” approach, which to me is subjective and may cause more…

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This weekend I traveled three hours north to Oklahoma City to participate in SQL Saturday 125, the second annual event hosted by the OKCSQL group. Ryan Adams, Russ Loski, John Sterrett and I hit the road midafternoon to give ourselves time to make it in time for the speaker… Read more