Featured Article(s)
Using the Oracle SQL Developer 1.5.4
Oracle SQL Developer Tool (a.k.a Project Raptor) is a stand alone graphic database developer tool that connects to Oracle as well as third-party databases which can be used to perform a variety of tasks from running simple queries to migration of databases from third party vendor products to Oracle. The product has steadily improved from its beginnings in version 1.1.
Webinar – High-Availability – Tomorrow
Join me tomorrow for a live webinar discussing high-availability options for SQL Server and related applications. We’ll review back-up and restore options, as well as a new approach centered around prevention instead of recovery. I will also be participating in a live Q&A at the end of the presentation. Sign up now to save your spot – click here.
Thoughts on Contract Work – from Chris Shaw
I wanted to pass along some additional thoughts about contracting. The outline you supplied of must haves is so very important, but I find that you have to add to that to include:
– Be ready to change focus quickly. Many times goals for me have been changed in the middle of the contract even within the first couple of days or even hours. You must be flexible so that you can be helpful as many clients need you to be. In a recent contract my goals have changed, when they changed the new direction of the goal was focused to a place my strategy was not prepared to go. This meant that I was taking time to readjust my approach and realign my goals.
– You’re the new guy. No matter who brought you in and what your goal is you have something to prove. Being the new guy on the team could mean that you may be working with people that you have not even met before. You are going to have to be ready to get things done in a very short period of time by breaking communication issues and finding the information that you need to know.
– Success depends on your ability to complete these actions, to work with and on a team that you don’t know, flexibility and drive.
I find it interesting that people who may be hired on as new hires are given somewhat of a grace period. This is time that the individual has been given to get his or her machine set up, learn where the servers are maybe even take a week or so to work around those configurations. When you are not a full time employee you are asked to have all that done and hit the ground running. Gathering data that is relevant to the goals, producing steps to move to the goals, and providing assistance within a few hours of walking in the door.
Featured White Paper(s)
TECHNIQUES FOR IDENTIFYING AND OPTIMIZING RESOURCE-INTENSIVE SQL SERVER QUERIES
Analysts are often provided with vague descriptions of database system performance like its sluggish or this report takes for… (read more)
Practice Safe SQL Server Version Control
This paper describes the problem of version control and change management for the database itself.While it’s obvious for any … (read more)