Author: Mohammad Darab

My name is Mohammad Darab. I’m a speaker and blogger with over 18 years of IT professional experience, 10+ years of that working with SQL Server.  Some areas of focus are: database engine, high availability / disaster recovery, and security. I’m an MCITP, MCP, as well as an IDERA ACE, Class of 2019.
Posted on

Interview – Chrissy LeMaire

I decided to start a series of blogs where I interview key people in the SQL Server community. Instead of me asking technical questions, I plan on asking about their outlook on the future, books they read (non-fiction and/or technical),  and their overall thoughts on where technology (mainly SQL Server) is headed. You can find more interviews here.

Next up: Chrissy LeMaire (b | t):

Chrissy LeMaire
Chrissy LeMaire

Mohammad: Where do you see SQL Server technology evolving to 5 years from now? More cloud focused?

Chrissy: I’m the opposite of a visionary and really have no idea. That being said, five years doesn’t seem very long; I think it’ll take closer to 10 years for to fully realize the cloud thing. Microsoft may be cloud-focused, but the industries I work in are still very on-premises when it comes to Microsoft software. Continue reading “Interview – Chrissy LeMaire”

Posted on

Interview – Tim Radney

I decided to start a series of blogs where I interview key people in the SQL Server community. Instead of me asking technical questions, I plan on asking about their outlook on the future, books they read (non-fiction and/or technical),  and their overall thoughts on where technology (mainly SQL Server) is headed. You can find more interviews here.

Next up: Tim Radney (b | t):

Tim Radney
Tim Radney

Mohammad: Where do you see SQL Server technology evolving to 5 years from now? More cloud focused?

Tim: I see the cloud focus still ongoing. Within 5 years, I see more small to mid-size companies embracing Cloud rather than building out their own large datacenters. Analytics will continue to be a strong focus as companies need to trend their data. Continue reading “Interview – Tim Radney”

Posted on

Interview – Brent Ozar

I decided to start a series of blogs where I interview key people in the SQL Server community. Instead of me asking technical questions, I plan on asking about their outlook on the future, books they read (non-fiction and/or technical),  and their overall thoughts on where technology (mainly SQL Server) is headed.

First up: Brent Ozar (b | t):

Brent Ozar interviewed by Mohammad Darab
Brent Ozar

Mohammad: Where do you see SQL Server technology evolving to 5 years from now? More cloud focused?

Brent: Today, in early 2017,  the majority of shops are still on SQL 2008/2008R2.

That means in 2022, most shops will be running 2012/2014 – which means Always On Availability Groups will be more widespread, for example. But other than that, I don’t think the world is going to be very different for SQL Server DBAs. A lot of their databases will probably run in the cloud, but for the most part, VMs in the cloud aren’t that different from VMs on-premises.

Continue reading “Interview – Brent Ozar”

Posted on

Google Wifi Review

Wifi routers have always been a pain in the butt for me. I live in a 3-level townhouse and it’s always been a challenge to evenly distribute the internet across all three floors. Over the past 10-15 years, I’ve tried multiple routers. From name brands like the old Linksys WRT54G router and Apple Airport Extreme, to the lesser known Almond+ by Securifi. The Almond+ was actually great when compared to the rest. The setup and wifi reception was great. The only downside was the router was on the third floor, so the internet speed in the basement was horrible. I started to do more research on how to evenly distribute the wifi and came across products like eero, and Google Wifi. These products offer a “3 pack” of routers that work together to give you evenly distributed internet reception. Continue reading “Google Wifi Review”

Posted on

Error 3241 in SQL Server

(This is a guest blog post by Daniel Jones (li | t | fb). Daniel is a SQL Server DBA and contributor at SQL Tech Tips. Having 2 + years of experience in SQL recovery and system infrastructure.)

Microsoft SQL Server Backup Error Code 3241 Restore Headeronly

Sometimes, the users of MS SQL server faced an error when they try to restore SQL database from the backup file in the SQL server. This error is known as SQL server error 3241 and it generates the below-mentioned error message.

Error 3241 SQL Server

Due to this error message, the users cannot restore the data from the backup file into SQL Server database. Therefore, in this post, we are going to discuss the reason for the occurrence of error 3241 and the relevant solutions to resolve the error. Continue reading “Error 3241 in SQL Server”

Posted on

How To Study Smarter Not Harder

How To Study Smarter Not Harder

One of my “New Year resolutions” is to increase my knowledge. As an IT professional, it is crucial to stay abreast with the constant changes in technology. The new replaces the old and by the time you get around to learning the new, that becomes old. As someone who works closely with SQL Server, I find it extraordinarily cumbersome to stay abreast of the new trends and technologies. Just SQL Serve 2016 alone has so many cool new features. Imagine the constant updates with Microsoft Azure. All that can be demotivating. Continue reading “How To Study Smarter Not Harder”

Posted on

How To Decrypt Stored Procedure In SQL Server

I recently had to view the code behind a couple stored procedures in SQL Server. Usually that’s a very simple thing to do. Just right click the stored procedure, click Modify OR script-as “Create New” and it spits the entire stored procedure in a query window. Unfortunately for me, the stored procedures were encrypted so the usual method mentioned above did not work. Continue reading “How To Decrypt Stored Procedure In SQL Server”

Posted on

Your 5 Favorite Blog Posts of 2016

Here are the top 5 blog posts of 2016:

1. How to Find Last Login Date of a SQL Server Login? – This was by far the most clicked on blog. It looks like a lot of people need to secure their SQL Server environments :)

2. How to Request a DoD Server Certificate – Working in the DC area, I have a lot of experience working with DISA STIGS, securing and hardening SQL Server. Continue reading “Your 5 Favorite Blog Posts of 2016”

Posted on

How to View and Read SQL Server Setup Log Files

How to View and Read SQL Server Setup Log Files

Usually when something goes awry in a SQL Server, the first place that comes to mind to check is the SQL Server error log, or Windows event log. But what if the error was during SQL Server installation? What if you’re installing SQL Server and suddenly the GUI disappears? Poof! Gone! There were no pop-up errors or anything to give you a hint of where to start troubleshooting. Continue reading “How to View and Read SQL Server Setup Log Files”

Posted on

SQL Server Scale Up vs Scale Out – Cartoon

I was recently asked what the difference was between “scaling up” and “scaling out.” I thought, “why not draw a cartoon to illustrate?” So below is my attempt at drawing a cartoon to show the difference between the two. (By the way, if you haven’t figured it out, those are servers flexing their biceps. Yes, they have stick legs. I’ve been telling them to do squats but they don’t listen!) :) Continue reading “SQL Server Scale Up vs Scale Out – Cartoon”