Many articles on database backups reference running database backups and maintenance processes overnight. In lots of situations this is a great idea, especially if you’re dealing with a transactional system that has users connecting to the database during the day and minimal activity outside of business hours. But for …
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July 2012 is the thirty-second installation of T-SQL Tuesday – wow that’s a lot! I can still remember reading posts that were part of the first one…

This month’s topic comes from Erin Stellato (blog | @erinstellato), the newest employee of SQLskills (congrats Erin!!) She’s asking us to track what we do for a day and …

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To say that I was dissatisfied with my previous job is like saying that the surface of the sun is slightly warm. When I resigned, I resisted the urge to blog about it right away, figuring it would be much better to take some time and reflect on it first. A year sounded like a reasonable amount of time, and I left there …
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Yesterday the Chicago Tribune printed an article on the death of Philip Corboy, a noted trial attorney. I imagine you’ve probably never heard of him, and I’m sure I wouldn’t have either, except I would walk by his law office on my way to work at a previous employer.

The story makes it evident that he was a mentor to …

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It’s been a while since I’ve written for T-SQL Tuesday, but I couldn’t resist this month’s topic. Aaron Nelson (blog | @SQLvariant) is asking about logging, and it needn’t to pertain to SQL Server. I love transaction logs a lot, but there’s plenty of other logs in my life, the vast majority of which actually involve …
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SQL Saturday #119, our third one in Chicago, was a total blast. This was only my second time on the organizing committee, but I’ve yet to hear anything negative about the event. From my perspective, everything went incredibly smoothly!

SQL Saturdays are a learning experience for all involved – not just the attendees. …

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A week ago I was privileged to attend Brent Ozar's Free-Con event. The original Free-Con was held in Seattle before the 2010 PASS Summit, and the second one took place in Chicago before last year's SQL Saturday. Since it was so awesome last year, Brent decided to do it again.

What is the Free-Con?

To paraphrase Brent's …

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On April 2 of this year, the National Archives released the complete population schedule of the 1940 census. These records were highly anticipated not only for their genealogical value but also because of their detailed information about an incredibly interesting period of U.S. History. This census captured the point …
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Chicago's third annual SQL Saturday will soon be upon us, and as food and beverage coordinator it's my job to obsess over what's on the menu.

SQL Saturday food offerings seem to have evolved over time. The first few I attended offered pizza, which is of course a great way to feed a large number of people. While very …

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"Statistics means never having to say you're certain" is a well-known quote that would often come up in my AP Statistics class back in high school. The same can be implied for estimation, and while estimates need not be perfect, they should at least be logical. While estimating the effects of compressing data …
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