Stairway icons Database Deployments

Designing Database Changes Before Deployment: Level 1 of the Stairway to Reliable Database Deployments

Stairway to Reliable Database Deployments introduces a progressive approach to managing database changes with clear intent, predictable rollback, and explicit behavioral guarantees. Starting from change design and moving toward execution and coordination in complex environments, the Stairway provides a conceptual framework for deploying database changes safely and consistently, independent of specific tools or automation platforms.

Stairway to DAX and Power BI

Level 27: Time Intelligence – Dates Functions: The DAX “Parallel Period” and “Same Period Last Year” Functions

Business Intelligence Architect, “Analysis Services Maestro, and author Bill Pearson introduces two somewhat similar DAX Time Intelligence functions related to “parallel” Date periods: PARALLELPERIOD() and SAMEPERIODLASTYEAR(). He discusses the syntax, uses and operation of each function, and then provides hands-on exposure to it in Power BI.

Stairway to DAX and Power BI

Stairway to DAX and Power BI - Level 10: Function / Iterator Function Pairs: The DAX Product() and ProductX() Functions

As a part of his “Function / Iterator Pairs” mini-series, Business Intelligence architect, Analysis Services Maestro, and author Bill Pearson introduces the DAX Product()and ProductX() functions, discussing the syntax, uses and operation of each. He then provides hands-on exposure to Product()and ProductX(), respectively, in returning the product of numbers in a column and in returning the product of an expression evaluated for each row in a table.

Stairway to DAX and Power BI

Stairway to DAX and Power BI - Level 11: Function / Iterator Function Pairs: The DAX Concatenate() and ConcatenateX() Functions

Continuing his examination of the evolving DAX “Function / Iterator Pairs,” Business Intelligence Architect, Analysis Services Maestro, Microsoft Data Platform MVP and author Bill Pearson introduces the DAX Concatenate() and ConcatenateX() functions, discussing the syntax, uses and operation of each. He then provides hands-on exposure to Concatenate() and ConcatenateX(), in joining two text strings into a single text string, and in returning the concatenation of an expression evaluated for each row in a table, respectively.

Stairway to DAX and Power BI

Stairway to DAX and Power BI - Level 12: Function / Iterator Function Pairs: The DAX CountA() and CountAX() Functions

Business Intelligence Architect, Analysis Services Maestro, eight-year Microsoft Data Platform MVP and author Bill Pearson introduces the DAX CountA() and CountAX() functions, discussing the syntax, uses and operation of each. He then provides hands-on exposure to CountA() and CountAX(), in counting non-empty cells in a column, and in counting nonblank results when evaluating the result of an expression over a table, respectively.

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Question of the Day

Detecting Deadlocks Quickly

In the Database Engine, when a deadlock is detected, what does the detection interval shrink to (in time)?

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