Accidental DBA TempDB Tips TempDB optimization is important for every SQL Server installation, regardless of version. Often an accidental DBA will use the default TempDB installation option, and many times will experience adequate performance. However, there are a few techniques you can use to optimize your TempDB. Since this database is used by SQL Server across all databases, it can […]

With Only Days Until It Starts, Now is the Time to Check it Out We have pulled together more than 35 all-technical sessions from the top names in the world, all for you. Remember when you saw virtual conferences and thought "hey, this could be really great!" – but then got tired of sales webinars? You won’t find any of […]

SSWUGtv With Stephen Wynkoop Be sure to check out this edition of SSWUGtv where Devin Knight provides some great tips when selecting a Reporting Tool for your application. Check it Out! Model Drive Design and Data Driven Design Recently I have been discussing the merits of each of these application design methodologies. Many people are not even aware that there […]

SignalR Last night I attended a demonstration of SignalR by Jeremiah Billmann of Skyline Technology. This was the presentation he had made recently at “That Conference”. What a blast. SignalR is not a product for every web site or web server based application; but when you need what it can do, it really rocks. I describe SignalR as an Event […]

Mocks for SQL Mocking is not a term usually heard in conjunction with SQL development. An object oriented program may use a mock to emulate data returned from a database in order to test the program without requiring a database to be present. The mock simply acts as a substitute for the database engine. Why not use a mock when […]

Version Control that Works at the Speed of Business A few months ago I wrote about skills a developer must have beyond simple syntax. Effectively using Version Control is one of those skills. Recently I have been considering different techniques for utilizing Version Control systems to allow the maximum amount of shared source while maintaining necessary separation of parallel initiatives. […]

Transaction Log Truncation In response to the editorial from Friday one reader asks for a difinitive answer on how to keep a transaction log from growing in a fully logged database. Leon Writes: Hoping you can settle an discussion we are having amongst a bunch of seasoned dba’s and could point me to a respected article about it that would […]

Ingenious or Outrageous Thoughts As I was reviewing my thoughts and responses today on the “Ingenious or Outrageous” editorial from yesterday I started thinking about the bigger issue. Many times we try to find ways around the way things are designed in tools such as SQL Server because they don’t behave the way we want them to. I used to […]

$$SWYNK$$ SQL Server Tip – SET NOCOUNT ON This one short clause has been known to speed up database operations for years. I have no idea why it works. If you check the variable @@ROWCOUNT after executing your command, you will get the number of rows impacted by the last SQL Statement. However, the NOCOUNT property is by default turned […]

$$SWYNK$$ Do You Write Clean Code? While cruising through technical books on Amazon.com I came across a book by Robert C. Martin entitled, “Clean Code – A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship.” The following quote was taken from the book, which convinced me to put it on my “TO READ” list. Robert Writes: “I know of one company that, in […]