PostWhy Performance Optimization Should Be Included In Every High Availability Strategy

A couple of years ago, when my friend SQL Server MVP and Microsoft Certified Master Amit Bansal (Twitter | Facebook) delivered a high availability training in Singapore, I asked if I could take a look at the course outline so I can justify attending. Back then, I was responsible for managing several SQL Server 2000 […]

PostVideo: SQL Server Backup Checksum

In a previous blog post, I talked about the importance of using the CHECKSUM keyword in the BACKUP DATABASE command to make sure that you are not caught unaware of page corruption in your backups. I’ve also provided a very simple example of showing how this one keyword can influence whether or not you’ll have a good […]

PostAre Your SQL Server Backups Useless?

As part of my preparation for last week’s Embarcadero DataU 2015 Online Conference, I tried searching for articles, blog posts and videos about useless SQL Server backups. Now, you might be asking, “why would I even be searching for that specific topic?” The primary (if not the most important) task of a database administrator (DBAs) […]

PostNOW AVAILABLE: Windows Server Failover Clustering (WSFC) for the Smart SQL Server DBA

SQL Server features like Availability Groups and Failover Clustered Instances rely heavily on Windows Server Failover Clustering. A deep understanding of the underlying principles and fundamental technologies spell the difference between successful implementations and horrible disasters. This advanced, deep-dive course  is designed for both beginners as well as advanced senior IT administrators, SQL Server DBAs […]

PostEnd-to-End SQL Server High Availability and Disaster Recovery

High Availability and Disaster Recovery (HA/DR) is an area that every SQL Server DBA needs to be comfortable with, especially when dealing with mission-critical database systems. One cannot wait until a real disaster strikes before learning how to deal with it. This advanced, deep-dive course is designed for SQL Server DBAs and system administrators to […]

PostRecent Amazon and Skype Outages and The Cost Of NOT Having A Proper HA/DR Strategy

“Failing to plan is planning to fail.” This week started off with news about the Amazon AWS DynamoDB’s outage and Skype’s network-related issues. For organizations who do not run mission-critical applications on Amazon or who use Skype for communications, this may not be a big of a deal. But for companies like NetFlix, Buffer (I use […]