Database Weekly

SQLServerCentral Editorial

What Counts for a DBA: Skill

  • Editorial

Practice makes perfect:” right? Well, not exactly. The reality of it all is that this saying is an untrustworthy aphorism. I discovered this in my “younger” days when I was a passionate tennis player, practicing and playing 20+ hours a week. No matter what my passion level was, without some serious coaching (and perhaps a […]

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2021-08-14

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SQLServerCentral Editorial

Deploying SQL Server Automatically

  • Editorial

I've had to install SQL Server many times over the years. Often it has felt that most of these installs were one-offs, a dev server, a new QA instance, a production server for a brand new application. A few times I've had to recover from disaster, including restoring master, but often, I just installed SQL […]

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2021-07-31

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SQLServerCentral Editorial

Taking time off

  • Editorial

Time is a precious commodity, and so much of our time is dedicated to working. IT professionals often have jobs with good benefits, including generous paid time off. It’s important to get away from work to relax and recharge, but, sometimes, it’s difficult to take those days that belong to us. Even when we do […]

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2021-07-17

104 reads

SQLServerCentral Editorial

What Counts For a DBA: Ego

  • Editorial

Leaving aside, for a second, Freud’s psychoanalytical definitions, the term “ego” generally refers to a person’s sense of self, and their self-esteem. In casual usage, however, it usually appears in the adjectival form, “egotistical” (most often followed by “jerk”). You don’t need to be a jerk to be a DBA; humility is important. However, ego is important […]

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2021-06-26

290 reads

SQLServerCentral Editorial

What counts for a DBA: Foresight

  • Editorial

Of all the valuable attributes of a DBA, from passion to humility to practicality, perhaps one of the most important attributes may turn out to be the most seemingly nebulous: foresight. According to Free Dictionary, foresight is the "perception of the significance and nature of events before they have occurred". Foresight does not come naturally to most people, as the […]

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2021-05-15

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SQLServerCentral Editorial

Looking Forward to SQL Server vNext

  • Editorial

Releases of on-premises SQL Server arrived quite rapidly for a few years with seven releases during the years spanning 2008 and 2019. While it has technically been less than two years since SQL Server 2019 reached general availability in November 2019, it feels like ages since we have heard any news about what’s coming next. […]

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2021-04-24

1,834 reads

SQLServerCentral Editorial

New Options for Training and Learning

  • Editorial

In 2008, I managed to achieve the goal of becoming a Microsoft Certified Trainer. Once I achieved the status, Microsoft shipped me a binder with dozens of DVDs containing lab VMs and class materials for all the current classes. At some point, instead of receiving DVDs, you were expected to download images which was quite […]

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2021-03-13

173 reads

SQLServerCentral Editorial

Common Table Expression Misunderstandings

  • Editorial

I frequently use Common Table Expressions (CTEs) when I demo windowing functions and get questions about them. Windowing functions are limited to the SELECT and ORDER BY clause which means that you can’t filter or group on them directly. Using a CTE is one way to separate the logic of the query into multiple steps […]

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2021-02-27

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Distance Metric Algorithms

What are the distance metric algorithms that can be used in VECTOR_DISTANCE()?

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