The Impact of Architecture/Design Choices

I try my best to get things right the first time. So often, correcting a mistake or bad choice is...

Becoming a DBA, Part II

This is a follow-up to part I from last week. You've considered what you want to do, you've looked at...

Online Resource: Safari Tech Books Online

I've used Safari (the O'Reilly version) for a number of years now and it is a resource I often recommend...

Why SQL Server 2005 Doesn't Permit Non-ANSI Style OUTER JOINs

As of SQL Server 2005, any database in 90 compatibility mode (settable by sp_dbcmptlevel) cannot support non-ANSI OUTER JOINs. Sometimes...

Tool: KeePass Password Safe password manager/vault

Some time ago I was looking for a password vault and came across some recommendations for KeePass. KeePass is open...

SQL Server: Listing all the database roles for a given database user

SQL Server 2005 introduces Common Table Expressions (CTEs), which are great for recursive queries. Previously, in order to do recursion,...

Becoming a DBA, Part I

A recent thread on SQLServerCentral.com had an individual what it took to be a successful DBA. Couple that with a...

Structuring the Blog Better

For a variety reasons, including personal/family concerns and workload, I've not been able to write as often as I'd like....

Alpha Version of SQLPing3 Command Line Available

Noted SQL Server security expert, Chip Andrews, has released an alpha version of a command-line version of SQLPing3. You can...

My Book is Out!

How to Cheat at Securing SQL Server 2005

I recently had the opportunity to contribute a couple of chapters to this...