Predeployment I/O Best Practices
The I/O system is important to the performance of SQL Server. When configuring a new server for SQL Server or when adding or modifying the disk configuration of an existing system, it is good practice to determine the capacity of the I/O subsystem prior to deploying SQL Server. This white paper discusses validating and determining the capacity of an I/O subsystem. A number of tools are available for performing this type of testing. This white paper focuses on the SQLIO.exe tool, but also compares all available tools. It also covers basic I/O configuration best practices for SQL Server 2005.
Set Functions: The .AllMembers Function
Business Intelligence Architect Bill Pearson introduces the useful .AllMembers function, reinforcing the basic concepts, as always, with hands-on practice examples.
Corporate Programming Sucks
Does it suck to be a corporate programmer? Joel Spolsky things so, but Steve Jones takes issue with it.
Toward Integrity Part 5
An exploration of the process of translating a conceptual model to a logical model, and ultimately, a faithful implementation using T-SQL.
When To Use Cursors
Most SQL Server DBAs have been taught that cursors are bad and should not be used. However there are some cases and places where they might be useful. SQL Server guru Andy Warren brings us an example of where they may be handy.
Introduction to Locking in SQL Server
Locking is a major part of every RDBMS and is important to know about. It is a database functionality which without a multi-user environment could not work. The main problem of locking is that in an essence it's a logical and not physical problem. This means that no amount of hardware will help you in the end. Yes you might cut execution times but this is only a virtual fix.
Introduction to SQL Server 2005 Database Backups
Backing up a database is one of the most important things you need to do when having a database driven application. It 's only all of your data in there, right? But often developers and management don't realize the importance of backups and overall proper backup strategy for the most important side of the business – data and it's consistency.
Document Your Database
Computer professionals are constantly complaining about the documentation for the software they use. And are notorious for not documenting their own code very well. Longtime author Raj Vasant brings us a short article with some suggestions on how to go about documenting your databases.
The Job Outlook for 2008
What will happen in the job market for DBAs this year? Steve Jones gives a few opinions based on what is happening in the industry.
Blogs
Resetting on the AI hype train
By Brian Kelley
There's a great article from MIT Technology Review about resetting on the hype of...
A New Word: Etherness
By Steve Jones
etherness – n. the wistful feeling of looking around a gathering of loved ones,...
Vibe Coding a Login Tracking System
By Steve Jones
A customer was asking about tracking logins and logouts in Redgate Monitor. We don’t...
Forums
The Microsoft SQL Year in Review
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T-SQL in SQL Server 2025: The || Operator
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Your Value from a Conference
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Question of the Day
UNISTR Basics
What does this code return in SQL Server 2025+? (assume the database has an appropriate collation)
SELECT UNISTR('Hello 4E16754C') AS 'A Classic';
A: 
B: 
See possible answers