Category: Blog

I remember first hearing about the IDERA ACE program a little over a year ago (in 2017). Previous to that, I had no idea that companies existed that helped out the SQL Server community. As soon as I read-up about the ACE program I emailed asking how I could apply. Of course, I had missed the 2018 submission deadline by a few weeks. So I had to wait an entire year to apply…
Continue reading “IDERA ACE Class of 2019”

Paul Randal, of SQLSkills, recently announced a chance to win a free seat in their 5-day IEPTO1 or IEPTO2 classes in October (2017). You can sign up for their SQL Insider’s newsletter here.

I was extremely fortunate to attend IEPTO1 back in Spring 2015 and blogged about it here.

This blog post is hopefully to win a free seat in IEPTO2. Continue reading “IEPTO2: Performance Tuning and Optimization – Part 2 (Competition)”

What Should My Salary Be?

There are two questions that you just don’t ask people. It can create animosity and can even cause relationships to break. One of those questions is, “how much do you make?” Continue reading “What Should My Salary Be?”

Sometimes the best stuff is FREE!

I recently came across this Microsoft site when I was searching for whitepapers. It’s part of the Microsoft Virtual Academy. They not only have free ebooks, but they also have free virtual courses. Continue reading “FREE Microsoft eBooks!”

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”

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”

I recently came across a tweet by Microsoft MVP Adam Machanic (b | t) that caught my attention (see below):

EventBrite just sent me an ad for this amazing course! Learn full SQL and Oracle database admin in just 3 hours… https://t.co/eyxbmjqozB

— Adam Machanic (@AdamMachanic) November 23, 2016

Continue reading “Please Avoid Get Rich Quick Schemes Like These”

I follow over 80 people on Twitter. Over 30 of them are MVPs and/or MCMs.

That means when I wake up in the morning and scroll through my Twitter timeline…all I see are tweets to intellectual blog posts, discussions, #sqlhelp replies to tough questions, etc.

This is why following so many MCM and MVPs on Twitter (social media) is like a double-edged sword. Let’s start with the cons: Continue reading “Pros & Cons of Following MCM & MVPs on Twitter”

Recently at work, I came back from lunch to my coworkers yelling,

“We’ve been looking for you! You need to restore the database!”

I was extremely surprised and caught off-guard by the verbal attack. I tried my best to keep my cool, even though my heart was racing fast, and asked for further explanation as to why I should “restore the database?”

They replied, “We can’t connect to our application!” Continue reading “With All Due Respect…”

There are always people you come across in life that stand out from others. They are the ones that end up becoming life long friends.

In terms of my professional career, there are two people that I credit for being a DBA and starting this blog. Continue reading “People You Meet Along The Way”

Looking back, I don’t remember a time that I ever liked to write. I was the kid in school that always took forever to write a paper because it was “never good enough.”

With some encouragement from my friend Tim Radney, I decided to take the plunge and travel down the road of blogging. I do work full time as a SQL Server DBA so most of my posts will be centered around things I learn everyday at work.

Like the title of this blog says, I’m starting out with “baby steps” but hopefully I’ll be up and running very soon!