The new Microsoft certification program is an essential step in the application process for independent data warehousing and BI software vendors to join the Microsoft Gold Certified Partner Program. The program enables organizations to work closely with Microsoft to provide increased functionality a

By Brian Moran – SQL Server’s in-the-box data-mining functions provide some unique opportunities for database professionals to add significant value to customers and employers–and their own careers.

In his latest article, Alexander Chigrik offers twelve helpful tips to ensure you are performing SQL Server backup/restore operations in the most efficient manner possible.

By Paul Thurrott – Microsoft is prepping the first beta release of SQL Server 2003–code-named Yukon–for release in February or March, and will use feedback from Beta 1 to determine the final release schedule. The long-awaited Yukon code-base will usher in a new era on Microsoft’s software developm

by Dan Fox – ADO.NET’s slick, direct data access to SQL Server provides a speedy alternative to ODBC and even OLE DB. ODBC and OLE DB work well when you can’t go straight to the source, but you can achieve better performance with SQL Server and Visual Studio .NET by taking advantage of the SqlClient

Book Review – XML, whether we like it or not, is a topic that DBAs and SQL developers must soon learn to master. While SQL Server 2000 has built-in XML-related functionality, it will be the next version of SQL Server that will really bring XML to the forefront for those involved in SQL Server.

by Drew Georgopulos – SQL Profiler is a great SQL Server tool that can help you reach your database optimization goals. This 10-Minute Solution presents a few preparatory steps to start using Profiler for monitoring performance problems. It discusses some techniques, tools, and commands that reveal

By Itzik Ben-Gan – Sometimes, T-SQL just can’t solve a problem alone without severe performance penalties. When this happens, consider using indexed views to rev up performance.

By Baya Pavliashvili – Useful indexes can speed up your application’s performance dramatically. I’ve seen performance improvements of 10- to 1000-fold with appropriate indexes. Determining what indexes will help your application the most depends on your application type, architecture and other facto

Hitch your wagon to the power of MDX in Analysis Services! Join Bill Pearson in the start of a new series ‘MDX in Analysis Services’. In this lesson, we will get up to speed with the fundamentals of MDX via Analysis Manager.