My favorite kind of work, when creating or implementing business systems, executes at a very fast pace. Unless the system is especially complicated, I don’t require UML diagrams or lots of other documentation. Business rules and wireframes often serve as acceptable requirements to get things going. Clearly, there is a lot more to any system, and appropriate documentation is essential. […]

Have you ever wanted to import a lot of data into your SQL Server database quickly? Sometimes you have a lot of data, and your system spends a lot of time allocating disk space for new data, or maintaining a transaction log for the work being done. So, here are some options available to you when bringing in a lot […]

Today I learned an interesting thing about Entity Framework I had not experienced in the past. Many people use a single integer value as a primary key for every table. Joining to that table is then done using a foreign key, again as an integer. I am implementing tables with language and country codes, utilizing the ISO standards for each, […]

When it comes to database performance optimization, index management is high on the list if issues you need to address. In fact, I think this is only second to an efficient database design. Sure, there are other factors that make significant impact for a database performance. But, if these two are off, you can throw a lot of money at […]

I don’t know if Adam Mechanic coined the acronym “POC”. However, I recently heard Itzik Ben-Gan attribute it to him, regarding an indexing technique designed to optimize queries. In the examples presented, and also in the above mentioned authors E-book, T-SQL Querying, the index is being applied to Windowing functions introduced in SQL Server 2012. Partition Order Coverage The partitioning […]

I’ve been writing computer software since 1983, and charging for my services since 1985. That’s 30+ years. To be fair, it was only fill time for 25 of those years…but I was always writing code. Recently, I sat down to create a list of all the projects I worked on as a sole contributor, or part of a team. After […]

More and more there’s a common thread in people reaching out for help with databases. Them: “We created this system and it needs to be updated, changed…” Me: “What needs to be changed, and how is your system set up?” Them: “We need to add X, Y and Z and I’m not sure how it really works, I sign on […]

I’m surprised about what things prompt me for topics when I write an editorial. Today, my motivation is based on the hard work being done for data cleanup for one of my projects. Many applications have the ability for users to enter text for an attribute in a free form style. They may enter anything they wish without concern of […]

If you are paying attention, it is being said that we are experiencing a new revolution, based on technology, and the connectedness of things. Smart devices are being released at a higher pace than ever before. I am able to monitor my appliances in my home, and even manage them from my smart phone, and so much more. That’s not […]

Instrumentation is a core component of a mature software product. It is essential for creating a new robust product. It is essential for managing a product used in production. It is essential for determining priorities for future improvements in a software product. So, what is Instrumentation? For those of us using Microsoft SQL Server, we have likely experienced first hand […]