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Dear SQL DBA

Kendra Little's podcast discussing database performance tuning, software development, and working with data.
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Dear SQL DBA
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Now displaying: 2016
Dec 15, 2016

You need to release schema changes while the SQL Server is in use. Learn why code generation tools write odd scripts and how to stay sane amid rapid releases.

Dec 1, 2016

Does your team know what it's doing with SQL Server? Learn what a consultant looks for when assessing a team, and signs that SQL Server may be badly configured.

Nov 24, 2016

The first time you test a query it's slow, but when you run it again, it's much faster. Learn how SQL Server uses memory to make the second run much faster.

Nov 17, 2016

Learn why SQL Server 2016 SP1 is a game changer, and how to take best advantage of all the cool features now in Standard and Web Editions.

Nov 3, 2016

Learn about new features to speed up SQL Server queries. Kendra talks about automatic index tuning and speculates about Adaptive Query Processing.

Oct 20, 2016

As a database administrator or developer, you'll get into trouble fast if you try to force all your code and processes into a database shaped hole. You have to be creative when you problem solve  -- and when you communicate! So how do you cultivate creativity?

Oct 13, 2016

The bigger your indexes are, the harder your index maintenance falls. Is it better to rebuild big indexes? Or should you reorganize? Learn the pros and cons of each command and other options.

Oct 6, 2016

Should you look at automatically created statistics on  your tables in SQL Server to help you design better indexes?

Sep 29, 2016

What tools in SQL Server will notify you about blocking and help track the queries behind your toughest blocking and deadlocking problems?

Sep 22, 2016

Should you always index your foreign keys? What if you index them, and then the index never gets used?

Sep 1, 2016

Learn what it's like to find and develop your voice as a technical speaker in this week's episode.

Aug 25, 2016

What are the best tools to collect and baseline wait statistics? Should you write your own?

Aug 18, 2016

A C# developer wants to be a DBA, but is having a hard time landing a job. Should they take a pay cut and go for a Junior level job? Or could there be another path?

 

Aug 11, 2016

You'd love to have a job tuning SQL Servers, but you don't have an environment to practice in. Here's how to teach yourself performance tuning and prepare yourself to land and succeed in job interviews.

Aug 4, 2016

You need to change an INT column to a BIGINT in a large table. Learn why this schema change can make your transaction log explode, and how to avoid it.

Jul 28, 2016

Your boss wants you to automate patching for your SQL Servers. Is that a good idea? How far should you take it? Find out a DBAs perspective.

 

Jul 21, 2016

Learn what can cause performance regressions after migrating to a new SQL Server version, and how to troubleshoot it.

Jul 14, 2016

Learn how to configure the Max Degree of Parallelism and Cost Threshold for Parallelism settings in SQL Server - and about how SQL Server 2014 SP2 and SQL Server 2016 change the way that SQL Server automatically configures some SQL Servers with lots of cores.

Jul 7, 2016

You're a Junior or mid-level Database Administrator with no obvious career path. How do you grow the right skills to level up your DBA career?

Jun 30, 2016

SQL Server’s “index usage stats” dynamic management view is incredibly useful-- but does it tell you what you THINK it tells you? Kendra explains the quirks of how sys.dm_db_index_usage_stats works, as well as why she thinks the information is so valuable.

Jun 23, 2016

You’re setting up SQL Server log shipping for disaster recovery. What else do you need to do to best prepare for a failure?

Jun 16, 2016

You believe that your expensive SAN is slowing down the SQL Server. How can you make your case without making enemies?

Jun 9, 2016

What do you do when your fellow DBA is a ticking time-bomb of bad decisions, waiting to explode your production environment?

Jun 2, 2016

The SQL Server is slow, what should you do? Kendra shares her strategy for performance troubleshooting.

May 25, 2016

Kendra Little answers a question about early adoption of SQL Server, discusses why testing in production isn't necessarily crazy, and recommends how to handle requests to upgrade your SQL Server to use new features.

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