Conservative or Risky?
What type of leadership do you want in your company? Steve Jones asks who you want to help steward you through these tough economic times.
2009-02-13
95 reads
Editorials
Global Warming and Business Intelligence
What does global warming have to do with BI? Steve Jones explains.
2009-02-12
214 reads
The New Office
A tour of the new Red Gate Software offices from Steve Jones, looking at how a modern software company has set up it's space.
2009-02-11
199 reads
Trust
Trust is a big part of any DBA's job. But it seems that many people in society trust each other less and less all the time. Steve Jones has a few comments on this important subject.
2009-02-10
151 reads
Guest Editorial: Do You Run Antivirus Software on Your SQL Servers?
Every DBA needs to give serious consideration to the level of antivirus/antispyware protection they need on their SQL Server instances, and to the performance implications of the strategy they choose.
2009-02-09
648 reads
SQL Server Training: 2009 Conferences
Being a DBA demands that you keep up with the latest technology, and conferences are one of the best ways to do that. So, despite the fact that training budgets may be shrinking, I suggest you begin lobbying your manager to attend as many SQL Server events as you can. If you can't get your company to send you to a paid conference, then try to attend one of the free ones, on your own time.
2009-02-09
305 reads
Guest Editorial: In Praise of Templates
Phil takes us through one of the best kept secrets of SSMS - Templates. Even for a 'plain-screen' man like Phil, Templates are an excellent tool, and a major reason to use SSMS.
2009-02-06
289 reads
Guest Editorial: Do DBAs Need a Code of Ethics?
Despite the fact DBAs are essentially protectors of an organization’s knowledge, and privy to much confidential information, there is no clearly defined set of rules and standards to help govern and guide their ethical behavior. Brad McGehee thinks it's time for some action on this issue.
2009-02-05
447 reads
Guest editorial: Reasons to be Cheerful
The furore surrounding the recent release of MySQL 5.1 makes Tony Davis wonder if more than a few web 2.0 developers might be peering over the SQL Server Express fence and wondering if the grass doesn't look slightly greener over here.
2009-02-04
202 reads
Guest Editorial: Managing their expectations
In which Phil Factor's attention wanders whilst reading some software product announcements and imagines what would have happened if the current IT Bloggers had been in charge of the White Star Line at the time of RMS Titanic.
2009-02-03
133 reads
Blogs
Narrow Task Decomposition in AI Pipeline Agents
A nightly load into sales_fact fails. Ask an orchestrating agent to break down the...
Car Update: August 2026
By Steve Jones
It’s been some time since I provided a car update, so I decided to...
Microsoft Fabric OneLake Shortcuts: When to Use Them and When Not To
By James Serra
An architecture scenario Imagine separate Sales, Finance, Shared Data, and Executive Analytics workspaces. Sales...
Forums
Managing Incidents and Fighting Fires
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Managing Incidents and Fighting Fires
Backing Up a DMK
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Backing Up a DMK
The Quiet Part
Comments posted to this topic are about the item The Quiet Part
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?
See possible answers