Red Gate Software has recently opened up its SQL Response v2 Early Release Program (EAP), and is inviting anyone who is interested to download the application, test it, and provide feedback. This is your opportunity to help SQL Response’s developers to create a great product that every DBA will want to use.
Test Cluster Delivered & Ready to Assemble
I finally received all the components of my SQL Server test cluster (pictured left), which includes:
–One PowerVault MD3000 DAS with two, dual-port controllers, and 15 146GB 15K SAS drives.
–Two identical Dell T610 Towers, each with a single, 6-core CPU (Intel Xeon X5670, 2.93 Ghz, 12M Cache, HT, 1333MHz FSB); 32GB 1333MHz RAM; a PERC H700 RAID controller; two 146GB 15K SAS Drives; one HBA (to connect to the DAS); and dual network connections.
Speaking at Nashville, St Louis, and Baton Rouge in August
In August, I will be presenting at the following events:
DevLINK, August 5-7, 2010
- How and When to Use Indexed Views
- Identifying SQL Server Performance Problems Using SQL Trace
- Essential DBA Skills: Introduction to Graphical Execution Plans
St. Louis SQL Server Users Group, August 11, 2010
- Identifying SQL Server Performance Problems Using SQL Trace
- Essential DBA Skills: Introduction to Graphical Execution Plans
Baton Rouge SQL Saturday, August 14, 2010
- Best Practices Every SQL Server DBA Must Know
- Database Maintenance Essentials
If you are attending, be sure to stop me and say hello.
It is Great to Get Feedback From My Readers
I get a lot of emails from people who read my blog, books, articles, and from people who have attended my presentations. I recently received the following email, which I particularly appreciated. While he has kind words to say, what really impressed me about this email was that the writer had taken my recommendations, and then used them as a checklist to follow. While I am not suggesting everyone follow my checklist, I commend the writer on taking the initiative to advance his career by following a specific plan. I think everyone who wants to control their career needs to create and follow a plan, whether it is one created by someone else, or created by themselves. Good work Rodrigo!
Should DBAs Be the Protectors of Data?
Originally published in the Database Weekly newsletter.
I used to work at a large organization ($8 billion in revenues) as a SQL Server DBA. My immediate manager, who was a DB2 mainframe DBA, had worked for the organization for over 20 years, and he became a great mentor whom I grew to respect over the many years I worked with him.
PAL 2.0 Beta Released
Back in 2008, I wrote a blog post about version 1 of the Performance Analysis of Logs (PAL) tool. This free tool, available from pal.codeplex.com, has been enhanced, and Version 2.0, Beta 1.1, is currently available for download. I have just downloaded and installed it myself, although I haven’t had much chance to use it yet. When I have time, I will write a review of the new version. In the meantime, I recommend you download it and give it a try. It’s a great tool for analyzing Performance Monitor Logs, and it is also a great source for determining which Performance Monitor counters, and thresholds, should be used when analyzing SQL Server’s performance.
Brad M McGehee 