How to ask for programming help

Over the past 25 years, I have answered a lot of programming questions in online forums, from co-workers, and from friends. It has been a while since I had been around forums, but I recently decided it was time to get back to what started me in the SQL community: answering questions. Not only is it complementary to my current job as Simple-Talk editor, it is really a great joy to be able to help other people with their problems. It is also educational to see the kinds of things other people are going through before you also go through them.

PASS Data Community Summit registrations are open!

In 2023, connect, share & learn with like-minded peers, speakers, and industry leaders during the full week of data celebrations. Summit happens in person, from November 14th to 17th in Seattle. Check out the blog post to learn more.

WIT Engagement Survey For Female Speakers

This is a survey from us at dataplatformwit.com to understand why /how you, as a woman technologist are engaging with community. We ask that women in the data community please fill this out.

Enhancing SSIS ETL Tools with SolarWinds Task Factory

SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) has been the de facto ETL tool for over 15 years for DBAs, Developers and Business Intelligence Professionals to extract, transform and load data (i.e. ETL tasks) for specific business processes, data-centric applications, data warehousing, reporting and data exchange between organizations. SSIS is a great product with high adoption across the globe, but has some limitations related to modern data sources, performance and streamlining tedious tasks. How can we overcome these limitations and have SSIS provide greater value?

Why a monitoring tool is an essential tool for growing server estates

As we continue into the era of supporting more and more database platforms in our data estates, self-monitoring goes from being a very difficult task to a truly daunting task. I am personally advanced at diagnosing Microsoft SQL Server performance issues, but when that PostgreSQL server gets added, I just have to hope nothing goes wrong for a few years while I learn.

Democratizing Self Service Cloud Analytics and ELT Supporting Modern Cloud Data Management Approaches

Many organizations struggle with democratizing access to data and analytics in the cloud, particularly for self-service purposes. As a result, data and analytics projects often require significant IT involvement, leading to delays, bottlenecks, and inefficiencies. Additionally, data analytics, ELT, and BI tools often require specialized technical expertise, making them inaccessible to a broader range of users. To address these challenges, organizations can adopt cloud-based data and analytics platforms that provide self-service capabilities and support modern cloud data management approaches.

What are the biggest challenges organizations face in their digital transformation efforts?

As part of a recent Redgate Summit which focused on data modernization, Grant Fritchey interviewed Pramod Sadalage, a Director at Thoughtworks. They discussed data and DevOps, and the typical challenges organizations come across in their digital transformation efforts. Grant Fritchey shares this Q&A.

PASS Data Community Summit 2023 registrations are open!

In 2023, connect, share & learn with like-minded peers, speakers, and industry leaders during the full week of data celebrations. Summit happens in person, from November 14th to 17th in Seattle. Sign up to receive the latest updates in your inbox.

The ten habits for highly successful compliant database DevOps

Database DevOps has come of age. Now seen as a key technical practice which can contribute to the successful implementation of DevOps, it stops the database being a bottleneck and makes releases faster and easier.

To implement it successfully, there are ten areas which teams should focus on.

DAX CASE Statement Functionality with IF, SWITCH and SWITCH True

The CASE expression is one of the most valuable tools in your T-SQL toolbox. I use it in almost every query I write. However, there isn't a direct equivalent of CASE in DAX. Since it's a different language entirely, I don't expect it. As my grandmother used to say, I am not surprised, just disappointed. If you don't know, DAX (Data Analysis Expressions) is a language for creating custom calculations and aggregations in Power Pivot, Power BI, and other data analysis tools. Two functions in DAX come close to replicating the functionality but come with limitations. Which one of these functions should you use? Please stay tuned.