Stop using sp_hexadecimal & sp_help_revlogin

July 6, 2021 Andy 2

Since I started at Stack Overflow, I’ve had the chance to see some of the interesting challenges with running our databases at our scale. My coworker Taryn Pratt (blog|twitter) recently blogged about fighting with deadlocks related to Stack Overflow for Teams. Lots of logins Taryn … [Read More]

Code to purge data based on creation date

April 4, 2019 Andy 6

Yesterday, I talked about batching deletes, and the day before I talked about how much I like to delete data, and why it’s necessary to do it, despite being a data pack rat. Today, let’s look at just one scenario, and how I like to handle it. In my experience, this is one of the most common purge requirements (and probably the easiest), so first, let’s look at the business requirements.

Purging data with batched deletes

April 3, 2019 Andy 2

Yesterday, I wrote about the importance of planning your data purges. Today, let’s look at the simplest requirement for purging data: Keep data for X days after it’s created.

The thrill of purging old data

April 2, 2019 Andy 0

DBAs & Data professionals tend to be digital packrats. My personal Google Drive is filled with random files that I refused to part with–even though it’s of questionable value. I lament that I do not have a copy of every paper I typed in high school or college–and I envy those who do. You never know when you’ll need notes from that meeting 6 years ago, or when you’ll need that funny GIF you created for an inside joke you no longer remember.

Building a Twitter-bot RSS Aggregator

January 11, 2017 Andy 1

I hate RSS readers For some reason, about once a year, I go hunting for a new RSS reader so I can keep track of blogs that I like to read.  It’s always the same process: Dig through reviews to find an app that I think … [Read More]