One of the most underused features in SSMS is the additional templates that are available for MDX, DMX, and XMLA....  Read more...

After several tries I think we finally have it working.  If you were unable to attend the last two SQLLunches,...  Read more...

Every so often I see a post in a forum or on Twitter about the use of xp_cmdshell. Usually it is someone looking for...  Read more...

A colleague of mine pointed out a great podcast called This American Life - specifically an episode with John Hodgman (the...  Read more...

I have been pretty busy with a server consolidation and move project at work. We had four Dell PowerEdge 6800...  Read more...

Everyone likes to get a project done, but many times in our rush to deploy we bypass some of the...  Read more...

After quite a bit of research, I pulled the trigger on a new HP Envy 15 system last Saturday. This...  Read more...

Despite the down economy, the 2009 PASS Summit attendance was down only 8% compared to the 15% of other conferences...  Read more...

Data Warehouse latency is often a complaint I have heard from end users when trying to access data via either...  Read more...

Reports that use an Analysis Services cube as a data source can often have performance problems during pre-execution.  Before you...  Read more...

Here is the script that I used in my Dr. DMV presentation this afternoon at PASS. It is a set...  Read more...

It is pretty important to make sure you set the Max Server memory setting for SQL Server 2005/2008 to something...  Read more...

Welcome back to our last class this term on security in SQL Server here at SQL University. According to the syllabus,...  Read more...

In the first installment of this discussion, I talked about the challenges facing database professionals and others with respect to...  Read more...

In my a post on Monday, I talked about who I want to meet while at the PASS Summit.  Today...  Read more...

I’m flying out Sunday via Alaska Air, taking the direct flight from Orlando to Seattle, arriving at 11:40 am. If...  Read more...

When developing Reporting Services reports that use Analysis Services as a data source you may find that it is difficult...  Read more...

Eric Wisdahl posted some questions on my last update, and I thought I’d reply here to make my answers more...  Read more...

You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself, any direction you choose. Dr. Seuss   Read more...

No, I’m not talking about a Dickens novel. I’m talking about the number of characters in a string. I had a painful time recently because of the word “characters.”   Read more...

 I/O I/O - It's why my server's slow..... Often I've been curious about ways to measure the performance of SQL Server, and...  Read more...

/* A couple of years ago, when I wrote the Simple-Talk Prettifier that is really no more than a stored procedure...  Read more...

Going through one’s father’s belongings after his death is always a poignant, bitter-sweet experience. I was going through his most precious books a while back; there were books that were written by him, books by friends and relatives, books about friends...  Read more...