blog.stuco.me

Being away from a technology as vast as SQL Server for a few years is like reacquainting with an old friend you haven't seen since childhood. Your friend has matured and added a lot of sweet features to his/her list of mad skillz. Getting back into the SQL groove in the middle of 2008 R2's lifecycle and now almost Denali isn't exactly like riding a bike, but the core passion and love for this line of work is fueling my learning and resolve to take the product serious this time. I feel like I've been given a second chance with Database Administration and I aim to invest the time to truly master it. Speaking of Master, Kendra Little ( blog | twitter ) received her Microsoft Certified Master designation in SQL Server today . A very big CONGRATULATIONS to her, because it really is a big accomplishment . :) Fellow Dallas/Fort Worth resident Sean McCown ( blog | twitter ) has posted couple of great articles recently from his daily experiences and highly animated conversation...

Second full day as a bonafide Database Administrator has been completed and I am mentally stretched and swimming in an ocean of question marks that are beginning to form coherent questions, soon to be addressed with my new team members. The mental stretching actually feels good (at the end of the day) and is making me realize that I haven't been really exercising my brain for the past few years. I may have been extremely busy supporting many IT infrastructures at a basic level, but focusing on database technologies for one customer (my employer) at a much deeper level is causing me to really think (Like). Through conversations with the Data Team Leader, I know that she expects me to ask questions without actually telling me that she wants me to ask questions. I only asked a few questions today which were at a very high level. At the time, my meager interrogation felt inadequate given the mountain of infrastructure, process and history I have to learn. But after thinking about it t...

Somehow I've slipped into blogging in the morning, but since this launch countdown is for working days, dear readers, we're still on track. The title of this post isn't metaphorical, because today is my last free lunch provided by my current employer, 2X Software. Coffee, soft drinks, snacks and free lunch on Fridays are the perks I am leaving behind, but sometimes a better opportunity requires such bold sacrifices ;) Yesterday, I was reminded that Microsoft has Virtual Lab environments specifically tailored to particular scenarios for nearly all of their products including (surprise) SQL Server 2008 & R2. There is absolutely no sign-up required and a single or set of Hyper-V virtual machines are prepared for you VDI-style. There are on-screen instructions for the scenario which can be downloaded to PDF file and the servers are completely controllable by you just like a real server... because they are real servers! Granted, Microsoft is guiding you in the textbook met...

Today was a hodgepodge of ramping up activities for the new SQL Server gig which starts on July 1st now (that's news, right?). I installed Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit 5.5, but didn't get to do anything with it. I also read a few great tutorials on MSSQLTips covering Stored Procedures, SQL Server Reporting Services and SQL Server Integration Services. My last professional exposure was SQL Server 2005, so I have some "refreshing" ahead of me. :) I am also amassing a list of books that I want to purchase (someday), but I'm still going back and forth on the "real bound book vs. eBook on an iPad" debate. eBooks are much less expensive and not as cumbersome, but will I miss the tactile quality of a bound book? Will eInk be as efficient for me as a few dead trees? Seriously though, I should stop moaning about it and just go the eBook route and become a proper member of the 2010 generation. There, debate over... I think. I'm behind on blog rea...

(Great, now I have to blog every day...) At the last North Texas SQL Server User Group Meeting (NTTSUG) , it was mentioned that Enterprise Edition IS SQL Server while Standard Edition is merely a stripped-down version of it. So why would you not employ SQL Server Enterprise in your environment? Cost. A Standard license is roughly one-fourth the cost of Enterprise Edition and could be worth the savings if your applications don't require the Enterprise features (you can find a "Features Supported by the Editions of SQL Server 2008 R2 article at http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc645993.aspx ). But let's consider a tiered environment where you have four SQL Servers for development, testing or user acceptance, staging and production. If my reasoning is correct (and please set me straight if I'm off base), a Standard Edition tiered installation would require four Standard server licenses. That cost should equal one Enterprise Edition server license provided you are ...

Not only in job interviews, but with people whom I engage in general database conversations, the question inevitably is asked "So what do you like about being a DBA?". I'm a geek - standard nerd - and when I answer this question, I feel the need to validate the geekiness of my response with a statement to the effect of "Yeah, I know, it's a sickness I have.". The fact is I LOVE DATABASES. I could perform a Steve Balmer-esque rant hopping on a stage and chanting "databases, databases, databases, databases". To my delight, I found in the first chapter of "Beginning SQL Server 2008 Administration" published by Apress an interview by the author, Robert E. Walters, with contributor, Grant Fritchey, about Grant's DBA career. A question from Robert was "What do you like about the job?". Following is Grant's response. "I work mainly as a development DBA, so my work entails understanding business processes and definitions...

As mentioned in tweets, Facebook updates and LinkedIn status, I was able to land (finally) employment in Fort Worth as a Database Administrator. Late on Friday, I gave my current employer the customary two week notice which sets my official start date to Tuesday, July 5. My family and I couldn't be more excited for this opportunity to re-ignite my career in the Database world. I have a fortnight to transition from my "old job" and ramp up for the "new gig" and naturally, I developed a few goals that need accomplishing during this time. The first goal is not to be dismissed prematurely, at least not without a full 2 weeks of pay. It's easy to succumb to "short termers disease" and slack off while biding time before the new job starts, but I need to strike a healthy balance between transitioning out and preparing for new responsibilities. The next set of goals are to holistically study the roles of a SQL Server Database Administrator, acquaint myself...

Four years ago, I left behind a 10-year career as a Database Administrator (Oracle and SQL Server) to join a cloud services startup in what promised to be the last job I would ever have. Yes, those words do look ridiculous, but it was a risk I had to take because it really had potential to be the next big thing. In early May of this year, I made the decision to return to my "DBA roots", refresh my knowledge of database concepts and drum up some interest among my contact base and IT-specific job boards. So here's the situation; I love relational database technology. Frankly, I love computer technology in general and wish I could master everything about it, but since life is short and if I must choose a specialization, then databases it is. Next, to which brand of database do I give my attention (my experience is equally split between Oracle and MS SQL Server)? Currently, I'm leaning (and learning) toward SQL Server for the following reasons: My most recent database exp...