SQL Server database states for people in a panic
July 9, 2026
I’ve recently been asked by some folks about different states for SQL Server databases. Questions like “what’s the state of a database with log shipping?”, “can I fix a database in (whatever) state with a restart?”, and “which is the bad one, RECOVERY or RECOVERY PENDING?” Hopefully you don’t have to try to figure out
Workshop: PostgreSQL for the SQL Server Professional with Buck Woody and David Seis
June 30, 2026
In this workshop you’ll learn: The goal of this workshop is to train SQL Server professionals, DBAs, developers, and architects, who need to support, design, or migrate to PostgreSQL workloads. The concepts and skills taught in this workshop form the starting points for:
RC4 Is Going Away in July 2026: What CVE-2026-20833 Means for Your SQL Server and Windows Environment
June 23, 2026
In July 2026 Microsoft is making a change that may impact your environment. The change being implemented will make your environment more secure by no longer accepting the RC4 algorithm for the Kerberos protocol by default. The problem though is it could cause authentication failures, services to not start, and Kerberos to stop working. Microsoft
Session: 7 Simple Strategies to Combat Imposter Syndrome with Amy Abel
June 19, 2026
Throughout my career as a database professional, I have learned that technical skills are only part of the equation. Many of the biggest obstacles we face are the stories we tell ourselves questions like “Am I good enough?” or “Do I really belong here?” Imposter syndrome can limit our confidence, decision-making, and career growth, even
Session: Creative GitHub Strategies for the Modern Database Professional with Amy Abel
June 18, 2026
Session: Defending Your SQL Server – Practical Strategies against Ransomware with Jeff Iannucci
June 15, 2026
I’ve presented different versions of this session for a few years now, and I’ll keep giving it as long as ransomware keeps affecting so many organizations. There are a number of troubling default setting in SQL Server, as well as some commonly seen practices that can unintentionally result in attack vectors. I want to help
SQL Server Best Practices: A Practitioner’s Guide
March 17, 2026
Changelog: March 2026 – Initial publication This is a living document. Next up: SQL Server Best Practices are not Universal Aside from maybe autoshrink, not all SQL Server “best practices” are always applicable to all. But some are. And we find them misconfigured on almost every new server we touch. After 15 years of managing
VMware SQL Server Best Practices
March 16, 2026
Broadcom just published updated technical guidance for SQL Servers running on VMware, and it’s bundled with the VCF documentation, which includes vSphere. (You can get that 90-page PDF here.) VCF is the Broadcom bundled platform that includes vSphere, vSAN, and NSX. Below are some of the best practices we work with our clients’ sysadmins to
Hyper-V and SQL Server Best Practices: What We Wish You Knew
October 29, 2025
If you’ve ever asked yourself, “Why does my SQL Server seem slower on Hyper-V than it should be?!”, this post might help. And if you asked me about Hyper-V ten years ago, I’d probably have laughed. Maybe even less than that. But here’s the thing: it scales, it works, and with the Broadcom/VMware “fun” squeezing