It's OK to be an Outfitter, not a Prospector
As data professional I have played with Analytics and found I'm better suited to development and administration, and that's ok.
Managing the Big Data Technical Staff
Big data is everywhere, and most large IT enterprises have installed one or more big data applications. These applications provide fast access to large stores of data, usually customer or sales data. Your technical staff that supports these applications and the systems that analyze and consume the data didn't exist ten years ago. Who are these new IT professionals, and how should you manage them?
SQL Saturday #374 - Austria
SQL Saturday is holding its first event in Vienna on February 28, 2014. With over 20 sessions on SQL Server, the event is aimed at all those interested in SQL Server - from pros to beginners. Register while space is available.
Capture CREATE, DROP, ALTER from the default SQL trace file
Tracks and stores changes to database objects by reading from the default SQL server trace file using ::fn_trace_gettable()
Expediency versus Best Practice!
Rumour has it that some grand old houses in the British Isles may be haunted. A SQL Server consultant spends a night in such a house musing over the use of T-SQL versus SSIS. The story is entirely fictitious and the article has been written pro bono and dedicated to the SQL Server community. For its interest, amusement and imagination.
Quintessential Or Elegant
This editorial addresses the need to write the most effective and efficient code for our solutions
Amazon's Aurora: A Distributed SQL Database Alternative For MySQL Applications
SQL-based distributed Cloud Relational databases aren't new, but Amazon's Aurora offers an alternative to SQL Azure, and, being MySQL-compatible, provides the obvious route to the cloud for hosted LAMP web applications.
Using a column name in a COUNT function
Putting a column name in a COUNT() function may not always give you what you are looking for.
How to get ETL Horribly Wrong
ETL ( Extract, transform, load) doesn't have to be like a spell on hell. To make a success of ETL systems, you need the freedom and ability to make graceful U-turns when you detect a mistake in architecture or configuration: to fix the root problem rather than to merely tackle the symptoms. Feodor lists the eight most common root causes of failure in ETL systems, and how to fix them.
Database ownership and TRUSTWORTHY
Database ownership is an old topic for SQL Server pro's. Check this simple lab to learn the risks your databases can be exposed to.
Blogs
PlanTrace Now Supports PostgreSQL
PlanTrace Now Supports PostgreSQL The same plan analysis you know from...
A New Word: the Kinder Surprise
By Steve Jones
the kinder surprise – . the point in your early adolescence when you realize...
Crash-Consistent Snapshot Cloning - Hyper-V Edition
If you’ve been following my T-SQL Snapshot Backup series, most of what I’ve covered...
Forums
SSRS Is Dead. Here Are Your Real Options
Comments posted to this topic are about the item SSRS Is Dead. Here Are...
The Distance Metric
Comments posted to this topic are about the item The Distance Metric
The New Wave of Security Threats
Comments posted to this topic are about the item The New Wave of Security...
Question of the Day
The Distance Metric
In the new VECTOR_DISTANCE() function in SQL Server 2025, the first parameter is the distance_metric. What is this?
See possible answers