The hype around blockchain technology is reaching a fever pitch these days. Visit any tech conference and you’ll find more than a handful of vendors offering it in one form…
No, You Don’t Need a Blockchain
Databases 101 – Factors to Consider When Choosing a Database
In part one of this series, we discussed the different types of databases available on the market today. In part two, we discussed how to choose the right database for…
Data Protection: Culture, Tools, People, and Roles
In my previous posts about Building a Culture of Data Protection (Overview, Development, Features, Expectations), I covered the background of building a culture. In this post, I’ll be going over the data protection…
Culture of Data Protection: Data Quality, Privacy, and Security
As I explained in previous posts on building a culture of data protection, we in the technology world must embrace data protection by design. To Reward, We Must Measure. How…
Five Must-dos of Database Performance Management
Here is an interesting article from my colleague Joe Kim, in which he explores database performance management. Databases are complex, multifaceted, and vital to the health of every agency. They…
Be Responsive and Responsible
Over the years, I’ve read more than a few articles about the qualities that are found in the best administrators. These articles focus on soft skills, but sometimes will list…
The Future Isn’t in Databases, But in the Data
In the past year I have earned a couple of certificates from the Microsoft Professional Program. One certificate was in Data Science, the other in Big Data. I’m currently working…
The Future is Always Bright
In my last couple of posts, I’ve tried to paint a picture of the past and present of database management and monitoring. We’ve seen that good database performance has everything…
VMDK versus RDM: Which One Do I Need for SQL Server?
When it comes to disk configuration options for virtualized servers running on VMware, you have two options: VMFS virtual file-based disk (VMDK) or a raw device mapping (RDM). Which one…
Hardware or Code? SQL Server Performance Examined
CPUs are running faster now than ever before, solid-state drives are replacing spinning disks, and database servers have terabytes of RAM. Because these resources are plentiful and increasingly affordable, it can seem tempting to solve database performance issues with hardware. But consider this example: if CPU utilization shoots up to 90% on one of your servers and stays at that level for a day or two, is the problem lack of CPU power or something else?