Plan Explorer 3.0: More power and completely free

September 8, 2016 Andy 1

Today, SQL Sentry announced the release of Plan Explorer 3.0. There are a few big changes, so let’s dive right in.   Plan Explorer just got free-er Up until now, Plan Explorer was essentially a freemium product. There was the free edition (which was really awesome), … [Read More]

Job hunting for database professionals

July 19, 2016 Andy 2

Like most people, I’ve changed jobs a few times in my life. My path from teenage grocery store cashier to Database Architect was a complicated and multi-step journey. During that journey, I’ve made some good decisions, and some bad decisions. If you’re like most tech … [Read More]

Benefits tell you a lot about a company

July 11, 2016 Andy 7

When you’re interviewing with a new company, pay attention to their benefits. Even the ones that aren’t important to you personally. Benefits don’t just include health/dental/vision insurance and retirement/pension (I’ll call these “core benefits”). It includes life insurance, disability, maternity leave, vacation, sick time, as well … [Read More]

Job hunting is like dating

July 11, 2016 Andy 0

Most of us spend at least eight hours per day working. In America, we spend an average of 25 minutes commuting, each way. That’s nine hours dedicated to work every day. You probably see your coworkers as much as you see your friends and significant other. … [Read More]

Moving SSRS Reports between servers

June 29, 2016 Andy 2

Today, my friend Derik Hammer (blog|twitter) asked about moving SSRS reports between (versions and) instances of SSRS: What is the best way to move 2008 R2 SSRS reports into an existing 2012 SSRS instance? Catalog move is insufficient here. #sqlhelp — Derik Hammer (@SQLHammer) June … [Read More]

T-SQL Tuesday #79 – COMPRESS()ing LOB data

June 14, 2016 Andy 2

It’s T-SQL Tuesday,  the blog party that SQL Server expert Adam Machanic (blog|twitter) started. This month’s episode is hosted by Michael J Swart (blog| twitter). The topic: SQL Server 2016 is out! SQL Server 2016 is hot off the presses, and Michael challenges us to blog about it. I’ve been using … [Read More]

Add-Equals operator

May 24, 2016 Andy 9

Shortcuts & tips from an Impatient DBA This series of short posts will demonstrate some lesser-known features, keyboard shortcuts, and other tips that make my day as a DBA more productive. None of these are groundbreaking super-secret features–they are the little things that I do … [Read More]

SSMS Template Replacement

May 19, 2016 Andy 1

Shortcuts & tips from an Impatient DBA This series of short posts will demonstrate some lesser-known features, keyboard shortcuts, and other tips that make my day as a DBA more productive. None of these are groundbreaking super-secret features–they are the little things that I do … [Read More]