MSDTC Supported Configurations

The MSDTC Configuration Conundrum MSDTC configuration is not as straight forward as you might think.  It’s a different choice if...

Save your execution plans!

Working with performance problems and query tuning can be a headache and take a lot of time.  Most companies I...

SQL .NET Requirements

SQL Server Install Requirements

SQL Server Installation requirements indicate .NET 3.5, 4.0, or 4.6 depending on the version. This is not including SSMS. At this point you shouldn’t use SSMS...

SQL Server : Understanding Backup and Restore operations using Docker Containers

In this article, we will discuss the concepts of database backup-and-restore operations on SQL Server Docker containers. This is certainly...

Why Aren’t You Using SSMS 17?

Last fall, Microsoft split the coding and release of SQL Server Management Studio away from any dependency on the server...

A bug in merge replication with FILESTREAM data

I wish I could say that every DBA has a love/hate relationship with Replication, but, let’s face it, it’s only...

Contained Database – No more need for Server Level Logins

Starting in SQL Server 2012 and in Azure SQL Database, Microsoft introduced the concept of a contained database. A contained...

Performance as a feature, software developer edition

Relational database management systems (RDBMS) like SQL Server and Azure SQL Database are very good at managing normalized data. Efficient...

What the Microsoft MVP Award Means to Me in 2018

I recently received my seventh “Most Valuable Professional” award from Microsoft. Oddly, I don’t think I’ve ever written about what this award means to me until this point. In...

Azure Data Lake Store Gen2

Big news!  The next generation of Azure Data Lake Store (ADLS) has arrived.  See the official announcement.
In short, ADLS Gen2 is...