Storage testing and validation is something what we to add under roles and responsibilities as DBAs. Every database we ever manage is going to need one, but how often do we kick the tires? Many times we’re basically told to go verify that array or we’re doing this POC, we’re testing this new storage, but are we really only testing connectivity? In this episode of the podcast, we chat with Argenis Fernandez about how he goes about testing a SAN array and the important metrics you should consider ...
Dec 21, 2016•49 min
As the year 2016 comes to a close, Steve and I share our thoughts on our accomplishments for the year and what lies in store for 2017.
Dec 14, 2016•29 min
At some point all data administrators will have to tune their environments and there are may ways you might go about that. In this episode, we talk with Pinal Dave about how he does performance tuning and the thought process behind the approach.
Dec 08, 2016•47 min
In the data space we're hearing a lot about dev ops, continuous integration and the programmers are getting a lot of love there with lots of tools to help them; however, if you're on the data side--not so much. If you're running Agile in your environment and then you're trying to do data warehousing or other data development we're not quite getting the same love. Sure, there are a couple of unit testing software offerings out there, but it's a little bit cumbersome. This episode our conversation...
Nov 30, 2016•46 min
It is easy to feel like the odd man (or gal) out in the SQL Community. We are constantly hearing about new features, products, and architectures and our companies may not always have the same enthusiasm when we describe what could be. This is probably even more true in the Analytics space as much of the marketing has been pointed in that direction. Even PASS tried to create a conference just for Analytics. While there are some amazing new technologies out there--we might--GASP--not need them in ...
Nov 23, 2016•38 min
In the keynote of PASS summit 2016 Rohan Kumar, the program manager for SQL Server proudly displayed a database restore to a SQL Server instance installed on Linux. What makes this all even more interesting is the database was sourced from a Windows server. While it might not sound like much, the number of operating systems SQL Server runs on has now doubled. This is no small feat and our guest today Travis Wright is the program manager for the SQL Server on Linux migration. While I have to admi...
Nov 16, 2016•45 min
We have all been there–next, next, next–let’s just get this install done. While there are many ways to get SQL Server installed on a server, the real impact is in the way we administer the database and when we want to get good performance. Listener James Youkhanis asked us about our install checklist and Steve and I realized we hadn’t made one public before. In this episode of the SQL Data Partners podcast, we talk about some of the settings we are looking for when we set up a server. We don’t h...
Nov 09, 2016•38 min
For all of us working with data, we know that we work no only with SQL Server but the suite of tools around the SQL Server engine. In this episode, we share some thoughts around SSIS administration, which is the most popular ETL tool in the Microsoft stack. Just like the SQL Server engine, many times the defaults are taken and in this episode we give some thoughts around logging, package execution, and notification with our guest Ravi Kumar. With the every expanding functionality of SSIS, Steve ...
Nov 02, 2016•53 min
Compañeros! The good organizers SQLSaturday in Pittsburgh allowed me to take a slot on the schedule and opened up the podcast for a little Q&A session and I was super happy with the results. We had several SQL Server pros come and our conversation was around one central issue--testing in your development environment. We came at from a setup perspective, but also from a how to compare apples and oranges when your hardware is different. Because we had a developer ask the question, I opted to c...
Oct 27, 2016•46 min
After talking with Patrick Thomas in episode 64 , I was introduced to Microsoft's newest learning curriculum, the Microsoft academy, and their first offering in data science. In this episode, I talk with one of the lead course writers Graeme Malcolm about the new program. Microsoft consulted data scientists along with several companies to identify the core skills they need to be successful. A curriculum was developed to teach these functional and technical skills, combining highly rated online c...
Oct 19, 2016•32 min
This week on the SQL Trail, Steve and I chat with Jason Horner about building a good data architecture. When talking about a data warehouse architecture, or even just a data architecture, people often think about building the data warehouse and specifying the server hardware, building the ETL, things like that--they tend to lose sight of the larger picture of data architecture. Jason gives us his “four pillars of data warehouse architecture” and how each of them impacts what you are able to do f...
Oct 12, 2016•38 min
Have you ever thought that Microsoft certifications were a waste of time? Depending on where you are on the experience scale, certifications still play a large role in hiring and career development. In Episode 64 of the SQL Data Partners Podcast I talk to Patrick Thomas the program manager for the MCT and MCP programs and the role they play at Microsoft and in what way they continue to provide value, including what’s in store for data science learners and what he thinks of the Microsoft purchase...
Oct 05, 2016•35 min
Availability groups provide both high availability features and disaster recovery options, but they also have several areas you must be aware so you don't introduce more risk into your environment. The major advantage is availability groups allow for you to fail over more than one database at a time. In Episode 59 we talked about general data availability options and in this episode we focus on the new features of Availability Groups in 2016 and how data availability options have changed with ou...
Sep 28, 2016•36 min
Have you heard the buzz around the Cortana Intelligence Suite? It seems like it is all the rage these days and Microsoft is coming out with lots of new features in this space. In Episode 62, Steve and I interview Melissa Coates, AKA “SQLChick”. We chat about the history of Cortana, about the tools it encompasses, and why you might implement parts of the suite in your organization. Show notes for today's episode are found at http://sqldatapartners.com/cortana If you are using Cortana, we would lo...
Sep 21, 2016•35 min
Do you dread the idea of going to the project post-mortem? Is it because you have to spend tons of time prepping your defenses for the onslaught? This week we chat with Russ Thomas and get his take on what makes a good debrief and where he got some of his ideas. These concepts are intended to make the whole team better so if you like what you hear, pass this along to other in your group and perhaps your debriefs can help everyone. The show notes for today's episodes are at http://sqldatapartners...
Sep 14, 2016•47 min
When Microsoft introduced the Azure Data Lake, they included a new language, U-SQL, for Big Data processing as part of the Cortana Intelligence Suite. U-SQL plays a role in the streaming analytics space–primarily in the Azure environment. We break down some of the basics of U-SQL, then we’ll discuss the use cases that might make it an effective addition to your database toolbox--especially if you know C#. The show notes for today's episode can be found at http:\\sqldatapartners.com\usql Have fun...
Sep 07, 2016•40 min
Have you ever wondered what the best option is for making your data available in your environment? Listener Chris Hendon asked us to talk about differences between Availability groups, mirroring, log shipping, and replication. Today on the SQL Trail Steve and I chat with Andy Mallon and Mariano Kovo about these topics. We cover each topic in detail and explain the positives and negatives of each one. Join us, for another great episode. The show notes for today's episode are available at http://s...
Aug 31, 2016•50 min
With all the changes in technology, how do you stay up to date with your technical learning? This is a question we have been asking our guests the last several episodes and in this episode we, the hosts, attempt to answer this question and Carlos and Steve give some thoughts on how we stay up to date. We discuss four ways to keep up. If all else fails, you can follow this old adage. "It's know WHAT you know, it's not WHO you know--it's WHAT you know about WHO you know." The show notes for today'...
Aug 24, 2016•27 min
Compañeros, in Episode 57 of the SQL Data Partners Podcast we take a page from the SQL Server Radio podcast where they list the 50 worst feature and discuss SQLFamily question 2 about what SQL Server features we think could improve. We talk about the redundancy of default maintenance plans, the pain of autogrowth and autoshrink, why NO LOCK hints shouldn't be used, what's so bad about Activity Monitor, and more. It should be noted here, that we LOVE SQL Server, we just being a bit picky with som...
Aug 17, 2016•40 min
I found myself in Columbus Ohio at the SQLSaturday event and thought I'd do a live panel discussion about our Favorite SQL Server 2016 Features--what we are most excited about. We also discuss the "Microsoft paradigm shift" and how the hybrid model is likely to stick around for a long time. Oh, and Scott Klein from Channel 9 shows up and gives us his two cents. You just never know what is going to come out of the wood work.
Aug 10, 2016•41 min
SQL Server reporting services hasn't changed in what seems like 10 years. The rest of the reporting environment at Microsoft has seen some MEGA changes and it seems like we could use a few updates to the environment. Our guest this episode is Jessica Moss, a data architect and Microsoft MVP. She gets us up to speed on what we can expect in the new version and how this ties into the other changes Microsoft is making. The show notes for today's show can be found at http://sqldatapartners.com/jessi...
Aug 03, 2016•42 min
What is the leadership of your company thinking about the future of data and the role you will play? To help give some insight into that question we have and executive pane on episode 54. Andrew Rose is the CEO of compare.com and Jim McCullen is the VP of IT for Century Distribution. We ask them about what they're looking for in IT staff, how they go about hiring, what they think of social media, and moving to the cloud. They give their thoughts on what makes a great member of the team and so I ...
Jul 27, 2016•38 min
In Episode 53 Steve Stedman and I chat with THE Argenis Fernandez, storage guru and PASS Director-at-Large about what else? Storage. Steve and I learn something new from Argenis every time we talk to him and this time is no exception. We are talking LUNs, IOPs, and why he thinks we all need to approach storage a lot differently. Check out the show notes at http://sqldatapartners.com/argenis
Jul 20, 2016•47 min
Since Microsoft purchases the R language they have been baking it into their products and SQL Server is on the list. SQL Server 2016 now has support for R and I know I have had people approach me about this and I thought it might be interesting to get Ginger Grant on the show and talk about the implications and what we poor database administrators need to do to get ready or at least be armed with questions when approached about the subject. Are you using R? What is your experience like? Let us k...
Jul 13, 2016•31 min
I am always amazed at how people can use technology to solve different problems and in today's episode, my friend Jana shares with us a problem he solved with PowerShell. The setup of this is different from previous episodes and I am interested to know if you like this format. While we do talk about some uses of PowerShell, the interesting part is how Jana learned PowerShell, got comfortable with it, and then used it to solve a difficult problem. Steve and I also share some thoughts about when, ...
Jul 06, 2016•26 min
As database administrators, we want to get as much performance as we can out of our SQL Servers. Microsoft has provided a few knobs for us to tweak in the Operating System, the local security policy, and in the engine itself and in episode 50 of the SQL Data Partners Podcast, we review some of these SQL Server settings and how you might take advantage of some and avoid others. Join me as I chat with Justin Randall about some of these settings and get introduced to my new co-host Steve Stedman! S...
Jun 29, 2016•38 min
When you code and you need to use a temporary object what do you use in SQL Server--temp tables or a table variable? There is plenty of conventional wisdom out there and my guest Wayne Sheffield and I talk about the differences between these two objects. Whether it around performance or coding standards, it seems everyone has an opinion about these objects. Check out the show notes for today's episode at http://sqldatapartners.com/2016/06/21/sql-server-temp-tables/ and I will see you on the SQL ...
Jun 22, 2016•35 min
Over the last few years we have seen an explosion of new technologies and processes to manage data. Episode 48 asks the question--Is the Data Warehouse dead? I chat with MVP Tim Mitchell about the subject and how things are changing . . . and how they are staying the same.
Jun 15, 2016•34 min
The expansion of data sets and increased expectations of businesses for analysis and modeling of data has led developers to create a number of database products to meet those needs. As data professionals, it is incumbent upon us to understand how these tools work and put them to their best use--before somebody else puts them to sub-optimal use. I am joined by Kevin Feasel who walks us through some of the technologies available and sorts out under what circumstances we want to consider using each...
Jun 08, 2016•46 min
Have you ever looked at some tsql code and thought--How does even run? I know I have and it can be daunting to take a piece of code and review it for performance or to make a change to it. I enlist the help of Jen McCown from the MidnightDBA team to discuss approaches to unraveling code. We tackle the issues of nested views, documentation, formatting, Hungarian Notation, and visualizing how all the code pieces fit together. At the end of the day, we just want our code to be understandable and us...
Jun 01, 2016•33 min
