Muting the Immutable
Phil Factor on dealing with "immutable" domain data during database development and deployment.
2019-08-16 (first published: 2016-01-18)
428 reads
Phil Factor
- Interests: Motorbikes, Beer, gardening, conservation, Local history.
The Sequel to SQL
Phil Factor tacks a few new buzzwords onto his CV and looks forward to joining the new wave of "digital innovators".
2019-08-10
704 reads
Data Transfer Strategies between MongoDB and SQL Server
There are a variety of days to move data between MongoDB and SQL Server. This article covers some of your options and gives you ideas on which method might work best for you.
2019-07-22
14,023 reads
Over-thinking Database Build Scripts
With SQL Server we tend to build databases, when necessary, from one or more build scripts. If making changes to existing versions of the database, we then script the required changes. Usually, a synchronization tool will create a script that can be tweaked to work; although occasionally it will require something more complicated, as when […]
2019-06-29
341 reads
Databases made for Ops, not 'Oops!'
Just as you write a unit test before writing the code, so you must devise the means to monitor a database, to ensure its smooth operation, before creating the database.
2019-06-01
222 reads
The Blast Radius of a database
Phil Factor feels that the database gets the short shrift in any outage - it's time to stop saying "the database has gone down" and time to start thinking about the resilience of the entire system.
2019-05-04
499 reads
Guest editorial: SQL Code Metrics
In which Phil Factor toys with the thought of producing quality metrics for SQL code, before dismissing the idea as foolhardy.
2019-04-30 (first published: 2009-02-17)
649 reads
Why should SQL Server 2019 excite developers?
Phil Factor is excited for SQL Server 2019 and is keen to tell you why.
2019-04-06
694 reads
Microservice Reality
Phil Factor argues that very few processes, even in well-established businesses, mimic the dreamy clarity and autonomy of a microservice.
2019-03-11
162 reads
A Capital Error
It's not the zero'th time Phil Factor has complained about the madness of a binary collation.
2019-02-11
77 reads
Blogs
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Car Update: August 2026
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Microsoft Fabric OneLake Shortcuts: When to Use Them and When Not To
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An architecture scenario Imagine separate Sales, Finance, Shared Data, and Executive Analytics workspaces. Sales...
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Backing Up a DMK
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Question of the Day
Backing Up a DMK
In SQL Server 2025, I have a database with a Database Masker Key (DMK). I want to back up this key and keep a copy offline. When do I have to open this key before running the backup?
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