2018-03-12
337 reads
David Poole
- Interests: Badminton, Cycling and Music. Keen piano player.
The Power of the Data Model
A data model is far more powerful than simply a set of build instructions for DBAs. It can be used to shape business thought and actions for the benefit of all.
2017-02-14
2,044 reads
Bash for ETL pre-processing
People were doing ETL long before ETL packages were invented. Some of those facilities still have worth today
2016-08-15
6,685 reads
Data Quality - Addressing non-stated requirements
Producing a crib sheet for data quality drives a shared understanding of the data used to power the business.
2016-07-28
1,354 reads
RANDom traps for the unwary
The Books Online description of the RAND() function is only true from certain perspectives.
2016-05-09
2,763 reads
What’s in a name?
When a business does not have an agreed set of definitions for their every day terms slow burning chaos ensues.
2016-05-04
122 reads
Getting ready for Hadoop
Before adopting Hadoop into your organisation there are a number of factors to consider. This article highlights some of the key points.
2015-11-23
6,418 reads
Deploying tech to the cloud
There is a world of difference between technology originating in or designed for the cloud and technology that predates but can run in the cloud.
2015-10-12
144 reads
Soundex - Experiments with SQLCLR Part 2
Constructive feedback on SOUNDEX - Experiments with SQLCLR lead to further experimentation with phonetic algorithms
2015-07-06
3,880 reads
A Beginners Look at Hadoop
Hadoop has been making a lot of noise in the Big Data world. Despite my lack of Linux experience I decided to take the plunge and this is what I found.
2015-01-01 (first published: 2013-06-05)
24,258 reads
Blogs
The flight recorder: Replaying what an AI agent did on my SQL Server
By Arun Sirpal
“What exactly did it do on my server?” is the first question a DBA...
Announcements from the Microsoft Fabric Community Conference — Barcelona 2026
By James Serra
Microsoft shared a broad set of Fabric, Power BI, and SQL updates at FabCon...
Au Revoir for now
By Steve Jones
No, I’m not quitting or retiring. Just going on vacation, but I leave tonight...
Forums
Let's Talk Certifications
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Let's Talk Certifications, which is...
The Hidden Security Risks of Role Combination in SSAS Tabular
Comments posted to this topic are about the item The Hidden Security Risks of...
The Empty Aggregate
Comments posted to this topic are about the item The Empty Aggregate
Question of the Day
The Empty Aggregate
I have this table in a SQL Server 2025 database:
CREATE TABLE [dbo].[CustomerOrder] ( [OrderID] [int] NULL, [CustomerID] [int] NULL, [total] [money] NULL ) ON [PRIMARY] GOWhat is returned from this code? (answers are for the sum and then the count)
SELECT SUM(total) AS sum,
COUNT(total) AS count
FROM dbo.CustomerOrder;
See possible answers