We are working hard to improve the user experience on the database section of our blog.
Our goal is simple: provide practical, relevant insights for anyone working with database monitoring, observability, performance, and day-to-day data estate management. We care deeply about databases, DBAs, and the broader data ecosystem, and we aim to reflect that through a balanced mix of content.
Over the past month, we’ve published a strong set of articles that showcase this direction. They highlight both the range of topics we cover and the value we plan to deliver consistently.
The DBA Series
Recent posts by resident SQL and database expert, Kevin Kline, focus on the pressures of modern database work, from burnout and reactive firefighting to observability gaps and storage strategy. Together, they point to the same need: better visibility, fewer avoidable issues, and more time for proactive improvement. This is an ongoing series and is closely linked to our High-Performance DBA webinars.
- Boosting Database Observability With SolarWinds Plan Explorer
Here, the focus is on how SQL Server execution plans can reveal the real cause of slow queries. The post also explains how Plan Explorer helps DBAs diagnose issues faster and tune performance with more confidence. - Inside the Black Box: Bridging the Database Observability Gap
Rather than treating the database layer as a black box, this piece looks at why it remains a blind spot in many organizations. It also shows how better observability, stronger DBA and developer collaboration, and modern Database DevOps practices can help. - The High-Performance DBA: Breaking the Burnout Cycle in Modern Database Teams
Drawing on the pressure many modern DBAs face, this article looks at reactive work, alert fatigue, and constant firefighting. It also shows how those conditions can lead to burnout and make proactive improvement harder. - Database Storage Optimization for the High-Performance DBA
Storage remains one of the most practical challenges for SQL Server teams. This post covers I/O bottlenecks, TempDB configuration, log growth, and monitoring, while also explaining why these areas still matter.
The next post in this series covers database memory management.
Deep Dive Technical Content
We are also publishing more technical articles that explore specific product capabilities in more detail. Recent work focuses on two practical challenges for database teams: discovering unmonitored instances and tuning slow queries more effectively.
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The Database You Don’t Know About Is the One That Will Burn You: Why Database Discovery Matters by Eoin Keenan
This article looks at the risk of unmonitored or shadow database instances and explains how those forgotten systems can create security, performance, and operational blind spots. -
Accelerate Query Performance With AI Query Assist: Intelligent Tuning, Built Securely by Owen Murphy
This article explores how AI Query Assist combines execution plans with generative AI to help rewrite slow SQL more effectively, while also emphasizing the security model behind the feature.
Get Involved on THWACK
Content on the SolarWinds Database Blog is written by SolarWinds staff and collaborators. That helps us keep the blog consistent, credible, and closely aligned with the topics that matter most to our audience.
If you would like to contribute to the wider conversation, THWACK is the ideal place to do it. THWACK is the SolarWinds community where IT pros, DBAs, and other practitioners share ideas, ask questions, exchange advice, and talk through real-world challenges.
Joining is straightforward. Create a free account, complete your profile, and start exploring the discussions, groups, and product communities that match your interests. From there, you can ask questions, share advice, comment on posts, and take part in conversations around database management, monitoring, observability, and wider IT operations.
Navigating THWACK
Finding your way around community sites (especially ones as storied and wide-ranging as THWACK) can be confusing to the ‘uninitiated’. Here are some quick links to help you find what you need:
- Data Driven: This is a discussion page for industry trends, pain points, or newfound knowledg
- WWWO DPA & WWWO SQL: Bring you directly to product-specific ‘what we’re working on’ pages.
We look forward to your contributions.
And keep checking back here for more content updates. There’s a lot of great content to come.