Feb 14, 2021
Is it really that hard to edit a Hosts file?
I have run quite a number of infrastructure courses, including basic networking subjects for many years now, and it still amazes me how often students get stuck trying […]
Feb 02, 2021
Restoring the model database in SQL Server
Let's say you do occasional backups of the system databases, master, model and msdb, and you have lost the model database. In this blog you will see what happens if […]
Feb 01, 2021
Introducing the Query Store
With the unveiling of SQL Server 2016 came a few new features, one of these features is the Query Store. The Query Store helps us to store snapshots of information from […]
Jan 16, 2021
Insight into the database structure internals
In today’s blog I want to write about what actually happens internally to a database once you start working with the data and how it is stored behind the scenes. […]
Sep 09, 2020
SQL Server 2016 – Row Level Security (RLS)
Hello again friends, I'm glad you could join me for another foray into the exciting world of SQL Server 2016. I'd like to have a brief chat with you today […]
Sep 01, 2020
SQL Server 2016 – Always Encrypted
Hello again everyone, both of you. Seriously, I have no idea what my audience is, this could end up being just a therapeutic exercise for my own peace of mind. In any […]
Jul 21, 2020
Visual creation of a Microsoft Azure SQL Database.
Hi Kids, welcome back for another thrilling, and hopefully edifying, blog post. You may recall that I wrote a blog a little while ago about creating a database using […]
Jun 16, 2020
What? Cosmic rays?
Okay, so the title. What's that about? I mean, good gravy, how are cosmic rays in anyway relevant to a blog about SQL Server? Srsly? Have you ever heard of DBCC? […]
May 26, 2021
Virtualising SQL Server using Hyper-V 3.0 and SCVMM
In this blog post, I will discuss virtualising Microsoft SQL Server 2012 using Microsoft’s own Hyper-V 3.0 and System Center Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM). Before […]
May 07, 2021
Have you ever…?
Have you ever…? These three words at the beginning of a sentence usually mean that the person asking has done something in the past that they're not quite sure […]
Apr 16, 2021
Odds are you are going to want to know something about this.
Have you ever watched the NRL Grand Final or perhaps the finale of The Block? How about the great race, Bathurst? Some amazing results with such matches and shows. Well, […]
Feb 13, 2021
Two DBAs walk into a NoSQL bar
Two DBAs walk into a NoSQL bar and leave rather hurriedly when they can’t find a table. Insert geek laugh here. Weak, isn’t it? Well at least it gives me an opening […]
Dec 01, 2020
‘CONNECT ANY DATABASE’ in SQL Server 2014
Today, I’d like to have a look at a new permission added to SQL Server 2014 that gives us a couple of interesting possibilities. So, hang in there while we have a quick […]
Nov 03, 2020
SQL Server in Microsoft Azure virtual machines
You know that virtual machine you’re using that’s hosted on Windows Server 2012 R2 or System Center 2012 R2? Well, that same virtualisation technology is now available […]
Oct 30, 2020
Designing business continuity management strategies in SharePoint 2013
In today’s article, I will talk about high availability in SharePoint 2013. High availability describes the steps you take to make your server farm resilient to hardware […]
Oct 13, 2020
Enhancements to Transact-SQL for SQL Server 2014
Did you know that Microsoft has released a new version of SQL Server? (Of course you did!) Well, a new version means new stuff! It is a Microsoft product, so there are […]
Aug 15, 2020
An epiphany about the cloud
I’m going to take you on a short journey, back a couple of years where we’ll find a younger version of myself, bright-eyed, enthusiastic…nah, really not a lot different. […]
Jul 24, 2020
Crash course in Microsoft Azure SQL Database
Microsoft Azure SQL Database (formerly known as SQL Azure) is an easy to provision and manage cloud-based database management solution based on SQL Server […]
Jul 04, 2020
4 steps to establish a SQL Server connection
Almost all applications that are developed these days will, at some point, connect to an external data source like SQL Server. When this need arises, you will have to […]
Jun 26, 2020
Data Quality in SQL Server 2014 for dummies (Part 2)
In my last blog post, we had a mini crash course on data quality and the three elements essential to data quality – knowledge base, domain, and Reference Data Service […]
Jun 20, 2020
Data Quality in SQL Server 2014 for dummies (Part 1)
Data quality is a major concern for anyone building a data warehousing solution. As organisations consume more data from more data sources, the need for data quality […]
May 30, 2021
Implementing security in SQL Server 2014
Today, I want to discuss some of the security enhancements in SQL Server 2014, but before I do, have you ever considered how SQL Server compares to other database […]
May 16, 2021
Implementing Big Data Solutions in SQL Server 2014
Hadoop. Hadoop. Hadoop. Big Data. Big Data. Big Data. How many times have you heard the above terms in the last six months? How many times do you think one or the […]
Apr 08, 2021
Scripting in SQL Server 2014
Today, I’m going to go into a little more detail with a topic I’ve previously covered, that is, scripting. There have been a few blog posts about PowerShell and I very […]
Mar 20, 2021
SQL Server 2014: In-Memory Database Capabilities
Do you remember my blog about ‘Hekaton’? You don’t? Well, you can click here to have a look. What I want to do now, though, is update you on that. ‘Hekaton’ was a […]
Mar 13, 2021
What’s new in SQL Server 2014 Database Development
Are you excited yet? SQL Server 2014 is just around the corner. The actual release date is vague, but it’s generally believed to be in the first half of this year, and […]
Mar 03, 2021
A Closer Look at Excel PowerPivot and Power View
I’m sure that we can all agree that Microsoft Excel is an incredible application. You can do so much with it, but broadly speaking, there are 3 main functions that Excel […]
Feb 18, 2021
PowerPivot and Analysis Services Tabular Data Models
Have you tried using Excel’s PowerPivot? For those of you who have, it’s awesome, isn’t it? If you haven’t, have a crack, you’ll find the experience rewarding. What I […]
Oct 16, 2020
Hello, my name is Hekaton – it’s nice to meet you!
Alrighty then, so, you’ve had a bit of a look at SQL Server 2012, you may even have taken one or two of their superb MOC courses, and you’re probably asking yourself, […]
Sep 20, 2020
Getting started with data mining in SQL Server
As database professionals, we typically work in a field of exact science. For example, a common practice in business intelligence (BI) solutions is creating duplicate […]
