New Videos Posted:
Watch: Food for Thought: Direct SQL Good Idea/Bad Idea? What is it?!? Find out why you should avoid direct SQL.
Watch: Upcoming Events in the Database World
Watch: Full SelectViews Show with these and other segments
Featured Article(s)
Understanding Windows Share Point Services
A human being’s need for communication is as strong, instinct and as basic as the need to eat, drink, sleep and love. It is both an individual and a social need. It is "both a natural individual demand and a requirement of social existence to use communication resources, tools and techniques in order to engage in the sharing of experiences, through symbol mediated interaction". This is the first part in the series of two part articles on Windows Share Point Services and Share Point Portal Server. In this part, i.e., the first part, I will discuss what Windows Share Point Services are; I will discuss Share Point Portal Server in the next and concluding part of this series.
You Need to Plan Recovery for Your Virtual Servers Too
So many people don’t consider backup and recovery for virtual servers when they’re reviewing their setup. Don’t let this be you. Make sure your system is set up to include these systems and that you have the tools you need to backup, failover and quickly recover from issues that come up. With Sonasoft’s one-click backup/recovery and reporting and monitoring tools, you can rest assured it’s all covered. Get more information here.
Call for Comments: Images in the Database?
Herb wrote in asking for comments and feedback on putting images in the database. Now, I know the "traditional" answer to this, along with the logic behind it, But I thought I’d throw this back out and see if things have changed… especially given the moves in the database world toward using the database as a general purpose store for all things "data." So, send me a note here with your thoughts – and here’s Herb’s question:
"I have been in discussion with my developers (especially DBA) regarding images and SQL Server DB. I am of the old school where images larger than the platform’s page-size are kept on the host. The idea of overflow pages (not sure this is what SQL Server calls them) has been something I avoid. I grew up under Yourdon (Structure Programming and Design) and one of the earlier things I learned was to keep functions and like items to no more than the number of lines (around 26 then) a monitor (the green screen types) could display. Anything larger needed to be broken down into smaller units.
I have noticed no ecommerce programs I have been working with, the image files are not found in the database no matter how small. I believe the use of the database to store images, blobs; globs, etc. are no problems initially on a new application. However, later lead to performance problems due to storage fragmentation from removing useless or out-of-date objects and to the overflow pages used for their storage. Maybe I am wrong, but I am not afraid of being proven wrong or sticking my neck out for what I believe in. I am hardheaded not obstinate. People often do not understand there is a difference between these two. An obstinate or stubborn individual will not change even proven without a doubt their stance is 100% incorrect. A headstrong individual believes their stance is correct, but shown it is incorrect, will do a memory swap.
So, what do think throwing it up to see what the sages and wizards say?"
Check Out the Upcoming Webcasts!
We have several new webcasts posted and coming soon on the site – be sure to register and save your spot today.
SQL Server Crystal Ball: Knowing What to Watch As Your SQL Server System Grows
We’ll look into pulling baseline information, things you can do to chart and forecast growth on your system and the basic options you have to grow you system out and up. Find out how to use Performance Monitor tools and learn about what different scaling techniques can bring to the table.
> Register Now
> 11/13/2007 at 12:00pm Noon Pacific
Creating, Managing and Reviewing Jobs with SQL Server 2005
We’ll show how to create a job, work through the different options,including notifications, variable job steps, scheduling and more. The goal of this session is to have you up and running, understanding how the options work for setting up and managing jobs in your system.
> Register Now
> 11/14/2007 at 12:00pm Noon Pacific
Troubleshooting and Maintaining SQL Server 2005
Find out about how to dig into your system and pull information you need to know to understand what’s happening. We’ll look into performance monitor counters to keep track of, where logs are that you should be aware of and more. The goal of this session is to have you feeling comfortable with performance profiling and investigation approaches for your system.
> Register Now
> 11/20/2007 at 12:00pm Noon Pacific
Featured White Paper(s)
Structuring the Unstructured: How to Dimensionalize Semi-Structured Business Data
The Business Intelligence industry is paying more and more attention to the ever-growing heap of unstructured and semi-struct… (read more)
IT Director’s Reference Series: Practical Guide to Sarbanes-Oxley IT Internal Controls
Sarbanes-Oxley is the most comprehensive financial regulatory law in US history. It places responsibility for accurate and re… (read more)
Data Privacy Compliance in the Application Testing Environment
Privacy breaches are making headlines, as organizations scramble to protect the confidentiality of their critical customer an… (read more)
ESG Lab Validation Report of the HP PolyServe Database Utility for SQL Server
ESG Lab, the testing facility of industry analyst firm Enterprise Strategy Group, reports its comprehensive testing of HP’s s… (read more)