Helping Database Administrators

Redgate Software, SQL Server
Let's be honest. Database administration is not all that tough. Set up your backups. Test them. Get consistency checks on line. Some maintenance routines for statistics and maybe for fragmentation are also helpful. Set up security. In most of the important ways, you're done. Sit back, monitor the whole thing and collect your paycheck. BWA-HA-HA! Yeah, well, it's a nice dream. The reality is that you're dealing with constant change that throw this simple set of maintenance monitoring tasks into the garbage. No, you've got new databases under development. Sometimes by development teams that are absolute rocket scientists and you sit at their feet learning how they did some really cool piece of code. And sometimes by development teams that more resemble crazed monkeys throwing poo at the walls to…
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The iPad, So Far

Misc
[caption id="attachment_1765" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="In the front yard, using the iPad & SQL Monitor"][/caption] After a great deal of unseemly begging, I managed to acquire an iPad. My intentions were to make it into a internet browser, email reader, blogging, and light writing machine. Additionally, I knew there'd be some time suck from games and I could set it up as a book reader, music player, movie viewer. I had hopes of possibly doing something resembling work with it. Illusions are easily shattered. Let's start with internet browsing. It's great. Really. As long as I stay away from Flash, which, for the most part, so far, I've been able to. +1 for the iPad. Email reading, it was easy to set up an email account, and there's a Google app,…
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Life/Work Balance

SQL Server, Tools
Technology, especially information technology, is the greatest thing to ever happen to mankind, freeing us from toil and drudgery. Technology, especially information technology, is a pernicious evil taking over our lives forcing us to work harder and longer. Depending on the time of day, the day of the week, my mood, my wife’s mood, or the direction the wind is blowing, either of these statements could be true. The fact is, I love technology and I do have to wrestle with keeping it from taking over my life, but only because I have so much fun with the toys that technology brings. You want to know how much I love toys, ask me about my Droid sometime. Pull up a chair. We’re going to be here a while. The trick…
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