This is part 3 in a series on shrinking and transaction management. Click here for part 4. You can see them all in the Shrinking & Transactions category. If you are one of the people who have been reading this blog, you know where I stand on shrinking databases/log files. I don’t like the practice (Post 1, … Read more
What do checklists, recipes or algorithms have to do with Database Administration? A lot… If we study a few career paths we can see how a checklist or process flow makes their lives easier. I love stealing ideas from everyday life, working them into something useful for my DBA career and I think we have … Read more
As a SQL Server DBA, where do I start? So you are a new DBA. Maybe you are someplace that hasn’t had a DBA, maybe you are someplace that didn’t have a great DBA. Requests are piling up, your head is spinning with the instances you are discovering and people are getting excited that there … Read more
When I posted about Empirical Evidence and finding a Troubleshooting Methodology, I talked about implementing a solution just because it seemed to work. This can manifest itself in different ways. Some are alright and harmless (what your shotgun hit happened to be the right fix) and some can be dangerous and hide the real problem. … Read more
Or how I learned to stop asking so much and start trying… Empirical, as defined by Webster: 1.) originating in or based on observation or experience 2.) relying on experience or observation alone often without due regard for system and theory 3.)capable of being verified or disproved by observation or experiment. I think empirical thought … Read more
Have you lost your mind?! What could I possibly mean by that title? I’m a DBA… One of the basic tenets of a DBA is “backup, backup, backup”, right? Well sort of… Far too often I hear people asking questions like “will this setup allow our backups to be fast?”, “how is your backup process … Read more
Updated [2016] This post continues to be a popular destination for searches like “How do I shrink a database?” I made some copy edits. I also wanted to reiterate a default position: It isn’t usually a good idea to shrink your SQL Server database. There are exceptions, but they are exceptions. This post is part 1 in a series … Read more