Most SQL Server DBAs Still Don’t Know About Instant File Initialization

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In my most recent poll, I asked DBAs if they have turned on instant file initialization on their SQL Servers. I was a little surprised by the results. Just over half of the DBAs who responded to the poll said that they don’t know what instant file initialization is, and another 13% said that they don’t use it. Only about a third said they have it turned on.

Instant file initialization seems to be one of SQL Server’s most hidden performance gems, and should be turned on for virtually every SQL Server. To learn more about instant file initialization, see my blog post: “Instant File Initialization Speeds SQL Server”.

Are Your Backups Really Safe?

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This editorial was originally published in the Simple-Talk newsletter.

Imagine for a moment if you will. As a DBA, and as the protector of your organization’s data, you have implemented many safeguards to protect your data. You have set up periodic jobs to back up your databases; you check daily to ensure that the backups were actually taken; and you periodically perform test restores to ensure your backups work. In addition, you have established an appropriate backup retention policy and you store backups offsite. With all of this planning and hard work, you are confident that your organization’s data is safe. But is it?

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Interview with SQL Server MVP Allen White

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This is the third and last in a series of interviews with speakers presenting at the SQLServerCentral.com track at SQL Server Connections in November 2010. This interview is with SQL Server MVP Allen White (blog | Twitter).

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Tell us about yourself Allen.

After starting out as a theatre major, I got an Associate’s Degree in Data Processing in the mid-70s, and became a programmer. (COBOL, punched cards, all that old-guy stuff.) I wore multiple hats, developer, administrator (both Windows and Unix), even a salesman at one point. (I’d played Harold Hill in The Music Man and my company thought I’d be a good salesman.) In the early 90s I discovered relational databases, and through the 90s I transitioned to being a DBA. In 2003 I got a job where my boss believed in training, and sent me to conferences, where I met lots of great people. I also started working with Microsoft on certification, and I started writing. I was awarded the SQL Server MVP in 2007, and got my Bachelor’s Degree from Baldwin-Wallace College in 2008. I’ve been consulting and training since; teaching classes in North America and Europe, and helping companies implement solutions to improve their businesses.

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Please don’t Tweet this, but…

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This is reprinted from my editorial in Database Weekly.

During some recent conversations, I’ve noticed an increasing tendency for people to precede a disclosure or opinion with a proviso such as “Please don’t tweet/blog about this, but…” It’s an interesting indication that, with the advent and growth of social media, has come an increasing concern that today’s private conversation may turn into tomorrow’s world-wide Tweet.

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Interview with the Intrepid Buck Woody

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This is the second in a series of interviews with speakers presenting at the SQLServerCentral.com track at SQL Server Connections in November 2010. This interview is with Buck Woody, a SQL Server Senior Technical Specialist for Microsoft (blog | Twitter).

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Tell us about yourself Buck.

Wow – I’m kind of old, so that would take longer than we probably have. Think of the old guy in the room randomly waving his arms blurting out “All of this used to be orange groves, far as the eye could see”, before dropping back into a nap.

But I actually feel like that. I’ve been around tech a long time, and seen the changes along the way.  I’ve always been interested in technology and electronics, even as a little kid. Star Trek nerd, the whole bit. I grew up on the Space Coast in Florida, and when I saw the moon shot I decided I wanted to work at NASA when I grew up. After school, the Air Force and college, I did end up working at both Lockheed Space Operations at NASA and at the U.S. Space Command at Patrick Air Force Base. I worked with mainframes to start, then built my own PC from a Zilog chip and played with everything from Commodores to Apples and IBM PC’s, and was one of the early adopters in business of OS/2 and Windows NT.

I’ve been a sysadmin, a developer, a network tech and even a hardware tech. But I’ve always lived in the data space, first with COBOL flat-file systems, then with Oracle, Dbase (Clipper, actually) Sybase, PostGres and then finally SQL Server. As far as training, well, it’s been a mix of college courses, OJT, and lots and lots of reading and practical applications. And the training never ends. In fact, I teach a database course now at the University of Washington, and I’m still learning all the time.

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