Opinion - Category Archive
The following is a list of all entries from the Opinion category.
Backup to the Cloud – No Excuses
Database Administration,Opinion | August 10, 2009 | 12:16 pmI used to work at a multi-billion dollar organization and, like most organizations that big, they kept backups of all their databases offsite in case some major catastrophe destroyed the data center. There was only one problem with their otherwise excellent plan; the offsite location for the backup tapes was the building next door, a ...read more
What’s Your Ideal DBA Job?
DBA Career,Opinion | June 29, 2009 | 12:26 pmAs a DBA, you most often have little control over what duties you perform, how much time you allocate to specific tasks, your work environment and, of course, your salary and benefits. Here is what I was thinking: If you could “design” yourself the perfect DBA job, what would it entail? To get you started ...read more
Support Your Local SQL Server User’s Group
Opinion,User Groups | June 9, 2009 | 12:29 pmSQL Server user groups can be a powerful tool in advancing your DBA career. I attend dozens of them every year, and I can personally vouch that taking a few hours out of your busy schedule each month to attend a meeting can produce a high rate of return. For example: Learn Something New: The ...read more
Does Maturity Make a DBA?
Opinion | June 1, 2009 | 12:20 pmI have been a DBA for about 14 years, and I have been fortunate to meet hundreds of other DBAs throughout my career, many of whom are now my friends, even though most of them live thousands of miles away from me. While there are exceptions, most of the DBAs *I* have met seem to ...read more
Do You Need an IT or CS Degree to be a Successful DBA?
DBA Career,Opinion | May 5, 2009 | 12:37 pmWhen I am making small talk with DBAs I know, one of the things I like to ask them is what their college degree is in. While Information Technology (IT) or Computer Science (CS) degrees are common responses, most DBAs I know don’t have a degree in IT or CS. In fact, the types of ...read more
Physical File Defragmentation
Database Administration,Opinion | May 1, 2009 | 12:45 pmDo You Include Physical File Defragmentation as Part of Your SQL Server Maintenance? Ever since I can remember, beginning with MS-DOS 1.0, physical file fragmentation has often been a problem on many systems I have used, hurting I/O performance as the disk heads have to thrash about to find all the many file fragments that ...read more
Online T-SQL Scripts and Copyright
Opinion | April 12, 2009 | 12:40 pmThere are thousands of Transact-SQL scripts available on the Internet. They provide a great way to learn how other people approach and solve the same kind of problems you have and, in many cases, will save you from having to “reinvent the wheel”. When I need a new script, the first thing I always do ...read more
Do You Verify Your Database Backups?
Database Administration,Database Maintenance,Opinion | February 24, 2009 | 12:47 pmIn the past, I have written and spoken a lot about SQL Server “best practices”. One that I emphasize over and over again is the need for DBAs to verify, regularly, the integrity of their database backups. However, I sometimes feel my advice is falling on deaf ears. When giving a presentation, I often ask ...read more
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