
SQL Server: Standard vs Enterprise Edition
December 1, 2020
Do you need SQL Server Enterprise Edition? Maybe. Maybe not. This blog post will help you figure out if you can make the move from SQL Server Enterprise Edition to SQL Server Standard. Lately, we’ve been finding more and more folks who can answer that probably not. I’ve lost track of the number of clients … Read more

Cluster Validation – BEWARE!!!
June 27, 2020
Subtitle: SHAME ON YOU MICROSOFT! This is not a new behavior. It’s not a new risk. It’s the same old risk that’s been in Windows Failover Clustering for quite some time. But it’s worse for SQL Server environments that use a Windows failover cluster for an Availability Group – since you are not sharing storage … Read more

Inspect Early. Inspect Often.
April 16, 2020
I almost didn’t get to write this post tonight about a lesson from my farm life for us DBAs. I could have been dealing with a massive headache or a hurt daughter – or worse. But. I get to write it so that you can learn from our near incident… First A Question How are … Read more

SQL Server In Place Upgrades: Too Expensive?
April 9, 2020
About eight years ago, I wrote a (kind of long) answer to a DBA. Stackexchange question, “Are SQL Server In-Place upgrades as ill-advised as they used to be?” My summary answer on the top of my tome was: Short Answer – In Place is okay. You can review your configuration afterward and implement the best practices … Read more
Welcome, Sandra Delany!
March 27, 2020
But First… A Quick Note… “In Times Like These!” Hey There! What a weird time to be announcing a change on the roster. But here I am – announcing a change on the roster!! Straight Path is doing well so far with the shifting economy in these times, and we’ve been working closely with our … Read more
We’re Going to be Okay – The CoVid19 Party Continues…
March 17, 2020
UPDATE – New Link – https://zoom.us/j/253747327 Please email or DM me on twitter (@mike_walsh on twitter – mike@straightpathsql.com ) for the invite! We are doing a few things to secure this – and Zoom has updated their software also. So last Friday (3/13) we had a webinar and zoom meeting with our SQL Family – … Read more
We’re Gonna Be Okay – Let’s Have a #SQLFamily/#CoVid19 Party!
March 12, 2020
Yoda would say “There’s a disturbance in the force.” right about now. Things are being canceled. Airlines are being slammed. Schools are closing. States of emergency are being declared. The healthcare system in Italy is under serious stress. We don’t know what the coming weeks will look like in the USA or Europe. Maybe it’s … Read more
#FlattenTheCurve – SeacoastSQL Canceled Next Week.
March 11, 2020
This may be a step of paranoia. But I’m a Database Administrator. We make paranoid decisions and “gamble” for the good of an organization. We’ve decided to cancel the Seacoast SQL Server Users Group meeting this coming Monday. Normally, we’d just post this on the meetup and be done with it. But I wanted one … Read more

PASS Summit 2019 Session Evaluation and Tips
November 30, 2019
I received my PASS Summit 2019 session feedback the other day, and I wanted to share a few thoughts on it. I gave two sessions this year; each one drew a smaller crowd – about 125 for each. I can’t find my evaluations for past years, but I think my scores were a bit better … Read more

Thankful Flywheel
November 28, 2019
It’s “Thanksgiving Day” today in America. It’s a day that we pause to take stock of all the blessings we’ve received and to be thankful for them. It hearkens back to the voyage of a small group of families who set sail for the New World as missionaries looking for new land to take root … Read more