Retaining historical index usage statistics for SQL Server
In this three-part series I'll look at what you can do to persist this data so you don't find yourself waiting for usage stats to compile over a reasonable period of time just so you can harness the power of the indexing DMOs in your performance tuning process.
Searching for tasks with code – Executables and Event Handlers
Searching packages or just enumerating through all tasks is not quite as straightforward as it may first appear, mainly because of the way you can nest tasks within other containers. You can see this illustrated in the sample package below where I have used several sequence containers and loops.
What is Twitter?
I saw an interesting blog post from Andy Leonard ( @AndyLeonard ) recently on what he thought Twitter was. I'd started my own post here, with some thoughts, and had to go back and rewrite things (Thanks, Andy!). He got me thinking, and I agree, it's...
Happy Memorial Day 2009
Steve Jones hopes you have a wonderful Memorial Day and brings you a blooper reel to pass the time if you are one of those people stuck working today.
The Real SQL Server Experts
T-SQL is not a language to be admired from a distance for its grace, sophistication and integrity. It is a tool designed to allow "normal" developers and DBAs to build database business applications as smoothly and efficiently as possible.
Starting Conversations - Part 5
I just finished up my third coaching call with Don Gabor (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4) and I think I'm gaining a little ground, but still finding that I have a lot to learn.
Understanding SSIS Data Flow Buffers (SQL Server Video)
This video looks at the memory buffers that transfer data to the data flow of an Integration Services package.
Using SQL Server to Build a Hub-and-Spoke Enterprise Data Warehouse Architecture
Scalable, cost-effective EDW implementation is an elusive goal for many large organizations. Three common approaches include centralized EDW the “monolithic” approach, decentralized collections of data marts, and attempts at hub-and-spoke architectures that combine the previous two. With the acquisition of DATAllegro and the pending release of Project codename “Madison,” Microsoft is poised to deliver a unique and compelling Massively Parallel Processing (MPP) data warehouse solution that combines the best features of both EDW and decentralized data marts.
Blogs
Finding Balance: Things Will Come Up
By Steve Jones
I have a presentation on finding balance in your career that got quite a...
Who Are You Doing It For?
By Brian Kelley
But as I've matured over the years, I came to realize that I needed...
Presenting Twice in May 2026
By alevyinroc
I will be presenting my latest session, Documenting Your Work for Worry-Free Vacations, in-person...
Forums
The day-to-day pressures of a DBA team, and how we can work smarter with automation and AI
Comments posted to this topic are about the item The day-to-day pressures of a...
Migrate SSRS Reports to PowerBI Report Server in SQL Server 2025
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Migrate SSRS Reports to PowerBI...
Identities and Sequences III
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Identities and Sequences III
Question of the Day
Identities and Sequences III
When thinking of the Identity property for auto incrementing columns and sequences for the same action, which can be used with the BIGINT data type?
See possible answers