Featured Article(s)
MySQL Basic SQL Part I
It has been my opinion that many of us in the database world rely too heavily on canned applications or insignificant knowledge to write our SQL statements for us. So, Im going to take some time (articles) to walk through some of the more basic but often lost skills of writing SQL. Venture along with me wont you?
Learn about managing your SQL Server data recovery vulnerabilities
In this session we’ll look into the different options you have available to protect your SQL Server investment. Learn about backup and restore, log shipping, replication and other tools you can use to help reduce risk. Find out what is involved, the pros and cons and where you can go to learn more about each option.
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> Live date: 2/25/2009 at 12:00pm Noon Pacific
Looking for Performance Bottlenecks?
If so, make sure you’re using the right tools that give you the entire picture. Sometimes you see a specific process being blocked, causing issues with performance, only to later (sometimes MUCH later) find out that it wasn’t that process that was the issue. It was something related and more difficult to determine. Using the right tools for this performance and optimization work can save you time, energy and sanity. Check out Confio Ignite moves beyond just counters and helping you guess and focuses on real information based on actual usage. Check it out here, get a free 2 weeks to work with Confio Ignite and see how it might fit with your own systems.
Business Intelligence Feedback: All Over the Board
The feedback on the BI front has been everything from "just use Microsoft; it’s easier to support" to various third-party tools that people are using to build reports and get information out to end-users. Here’s a last look at some of the emails – some great nuggets and experiences have been sent in.
Phil: "I would love to get my accounts department off Excel and to use Analysis Services. However, leaning about analysis services and getting a good BI cube working is not easy. What tools are there available to rapidly learn Analysis services. Because, if it makes life more difficult for the Excel brigade, then I have lost the battle to get them off spreadsheets!"
Paul: "I agree with the list shown here for BI. We aren’t doing much SSIS because, frankly, I think MS broke DTS in 2005 and we still haven’t made peace with the new SSIS. Also, we use SharePoint to create an environment for reports. But there are three possible ways we might move forward:
1. SAS – Not really because it is too expensive but I’m interested in hearing from others how they justify it and did reality show it to be worthwhile.
2. More Dundas – Use Dundas to show cubes. Or maybe we should wait to see what MS does with ProClarity.
3. QlikView – the new hot thing, reminds me of Brio – looks like fun. Will it last?"
Roddy: "Our approach is to use Visual Studio 2005 to create SQL Server Reporting Services reports that we deploy on the reports portal. The reports have built-in selection parameters that allow the users to narrow down the data they need. We also use the charting tool delivered with SSRS. After running the report the user has the option of downloading into Excel for further analysis."
The one thing I will say is that there seems to be a pretty big speed bump to get over when it comes to moving from native tools for the first time. Once past this initial hesitation though, it seems like the solutions people are using are pretty varied.
SQL Server Show
SelectViews: Auditing actions against your server, small business contracts and tips, examining old schemas for extras. Also, full-text synonyms, industry noise and news plus other tips and tricks.
[Watch the Show Here]
Featured White Paper(s)
SQL Server Virtualization Management
Virtualization is becoming the popular practice in many environments, allowing organizations of all sizes to utilize resource… (read more)