SQL Server DBA

DBAs Beware: “Hacker destroys VFEmail service, wipes backups”

My headline is borrowed from a headline on Malwarebytes blog post. In fact, many headlines like it are across the internet right now. This post is going to sound fairly similar to an earlier post I published, “Ex-Admin Deletes All Customer Data and Wipes Servers“. It’s from June of 2017, about a hosting provider who … Read more

“Ex-Admin Deletes All Customer Data and Wipes Servers”

My headline is borrowed from a headline on bleepingcomputer.com. This just happened to a Dutch hosting provider in 2017. You can read the article. Actually, you must read the article. If you didn’t here’s the basic gist: An administrator quits or was fired or whatever. He or she didn’t get their access terminated right away. He … Read more

Hey DBAs, Don’t Be Like the Secret Service!

Last week, I ripped a story from the headlines to draw lessons for Technologists from – it was about the Secret Service lapses that allowed a fence jumper to get into the threshold of the White House residence. That was bad. This week, though, we’ve learned of some additions to the story that makes it … Read more

How Do You Prevent a SAN Failure?

… Well, prevent a SAN failure from ruining your week anyway. Because you can never fully prevent a failure 100% – even in a SAN, even when your SAN vendor says it’ll never happen (hint: anytime a vendor tells you never – be afraid.. Be very afraid). So that’s what this whole post series is … Read more

SQL Server Join Syntax: It’s Changed!

Alright so maybe that was a little misleading of a title… SQL Server join syntax changed awhile ago, when ANSI-92 joins became the norm. And Microsoft was threatening to remove it for awhile. The older outer join syntax just doesn’t work in SQL Server 2012.  We All Knew SQL Server Joins Were Changing… I know… … Read more

Don’t Touch that SQL ServerShrink Database Button!

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