Blogs

Auto-Tuning and the #1 Mindset Problem I Had as a DBA

A few folks have asked: will auto-tuning and adaptive query plans mean the end of performance tuning jobs for SQL Server? In this week’s episode, I talk about why I’m excited about those features rather than afraid of them.

Digging into this problem, I share the #1 mindset problem I had as a DBA, why this mindset is so common among database professionals, and a daily habit that can change your approach to new technology.

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In-Memory OLTP and Isolation Levels in SQL Server (Webcast Video with Transcript)

I had a great time this week talking about isolation levels with Hekaton – aka In-Memory OLTP – aka Memory Optimized tables. Here’s a video of the recorded webcast.

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Where are key columns stored in a nonclustered index in SQL Server?

Last week’s Quizletter featured a quiz on keys vs included columns in SQL Server. I got a great question from a reader:

What do you consider a good reference and/or description of indexes for SQL Server? For example where would you have documentation that explains how the answer to #1 is right?

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Slowing Down Your Motor Mouth - Presentation Tips for Fast Talkers

Are you worried that you talk too fast when you give a speech, talk, or presentation?

In this episode, I give you simple, practical tips that I’ve used to successfully improve the way I give presentations. Four years ago, I got frustrated feedback from listeners who had a hard time keeping up with my mouth; now I get congratulations that the pace was great.

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Attempting to Force a Narrow Plan on an Update with Query Store

When you force a plan with Query Store, you may not get what you expect. Here’s an example.

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Kalen Delaney and Inspiration for Adventure

This post is part of TSQL Tuesday, a monthly blog party. You’re welcome to join in this party: if you’d like email notifications of future topics, here’s how to set them up.

This month’s topic is “Folks Who Have Made a Difference”, by Ewald Cress.

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The Case of the Weirdly Long COLUMNSTORE_BUILD_THROTTLE Wait

A funny thing happened on the way to my filtered nonclustered columnstore demo recently…

It was taking forever to create my demo index.

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Things I Learned from Speaker Idol 2017 at the SQL PASS Summit

I was lucky enough to serve as a judge for the Speaker Idol competition at the SQL PASS Summit conference this year. One of the great thing about watching presentations and giving feedback on them is that you learn a lot about speaking by watching sessions and crafting your feedback.

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I Thought I Was An Introvert. Turns Out I Was Anxious as #@*] (Dear SQL DBA Episode 53)

In this week’s episode, I’m not answering a reader’s question. Instead, I’m talking about my personal experience with anxiety.

This episode touches on on healthcare, religion, and squishy emotions – and there’s at least one curse word. I don’t talk tech in this episode. (Don’t worry, there’s more of that coming in future weeks.)

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SQL PASS Summit 2017 Day 2 - Keynote Notes and Ideas

This morning, Dr Rimma Nehme tells us the story of the birth of Azure Cosmos DB, a global, scale-out database system.

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