SQL Aloha

An Introduction to Data Compression in SQL Server 2008

This is an excerpt from my free eBook, Brad’s Sure Guide to SQL Server 2008.
There is one thing every DBA knows with certainty, and that is that databases grow with time. MDFs grow, backups grow, and it never stops. The more data we have, the more work SQL Server has to perform in order ...read more

Taking Advantage of SQL Server Tools

Reprinted from my editorial in Database Weekly.

An important question I think you should be asking yourself, when it comes to your professional development, is "Are You Taking Full Advantage of the SQL Server Tools Available to You?" I think it’s important enough that, when I make presentations at conferences or user groups, I often add ...read more

SQL Saturday Schedule Update

In January, I blogged about the upcoming SQL Saturdays for 2010, and since then, many more events have been scheduled, so I thought I would do a quick update. I wish I could attend more of the events, but so far, I am scheduled to speak at: 
SQLSaturday #31 – Chicago 2010 
While I have been ...read more

Please Provide PASS with Feedback on its Speaker’s Resource Pages

The PASS Program Committee is gearing up for the 2010 PASS Community Summit “Call for Speakers”, and it would like your feedback on its Speaker’s Resource and its Online Speaker Resources web pages. (Yes, I know the names of these pages are confusing, and this is something that will be fixed). I’m a member ...read more

How Not to Write a Resume Cover Letter

Although I am not currently a hiring manager, I occasionally receive unsolicited resumes from people looking for work. I just received a resume attached to an e-mail with the following cover letter. I have masked some of the content so that it is not personally identifiable, but otherwise, I have not made any changes to ...read more

Winner of the February SQL Aloha Contest

In February, I started a monthly contest at www.bradmcgehee.com to help spur some sharing of best practices among DBAs. The February Question of the Month was:
What is one of your best practices for making full backups and transactions log backups of your production databases?
I want to thank everyone who participated. There were no wrong answers, ...read more

Tsunami in Paradise

Not a tsunami, but high surf on the Kohala Coast, near where we live.
We received the first phone call at 4:35 AM Saturday morning. My wife answered the phone, and I figured that it was a wrong number or some friend or family calling from the mainland, forgetting about the time difference. I didn’t listen ...read more

March Question: What is the biggest mistake/problem you have ever found on a SQL Server instance, and how did you fix it?

Post your responses to the above SQL Aloha Question of the Month in the comments section below (at www.bradmcgehee.com if you are viewing this from a syndicated newsfeed). And don’t forget to enter your e-mail address when you post your response, so I can contact you if you win.
I’ll pick the winner that offers what ...read more