The blog of Andy M. Mallon
Notes from the work, the community, and everything in between.
The number of people who really love having their code [quoted] with [square brackets] is pretty small. The vast majority of people who I meet really hate them, and promptly remove them.
Continue readingIt’s been a little bit since the last T-SQL Tuesday I joined, when I blogged about religion & politics. This month, I answer Bert Wagner's call to blog about code I would hate to live without
Continue readingI’m no accidental DBA. Very shortly after I started working in tech, I realized that I wanted to be a DBA when I grew up. Eventually, I landed that DBA job, and have been a DBA ever since. A couple of weeks ago, I told my manager I was leaving and gave my …
Continue readingI recently presented for the PASS Professional Development virtual group with my session “How to get your dream job: resume & job hunting tips.” When I’m speaking at SQLSaturdays and User Groups, I frequently meet people looking to advance their career, make …
Continue readingI was recently asked: For testing, I need to generate artificial CPU load on the server, outside of SQL Server. Do you have any ideas? Maybe something with PowerShell? I quickly replied: Heck yea, PowerShell can do that. I mean, I knew PowerShell could do it. …
Continue readingSharing is caring, unless the share is using SMBv1. In case you’ve missed it (though, if you’re a data professional or other IT pro, you must live under a rock if you’ve missed it), SMBv1 should never ever be used. Alas, some shares out there still exist & …
Continue readingEarlier tonight, I sat down to install Reporting Services on my laptop. I haven’t played with SSRS 2017 yet, so I figured I’d poke around some. Much to my surprise, the configuration failed when creating the ReportServer database, reporting a deadlock. When I …
Continue readingI fancy myself more of a Jedi, but I appreciate the Empire's dedication to replication I’ve used replication and Availability Groups together before. Replication works great with an AG as both a publisher or a subscriber (though, not as a distributor–you …
Continue readingI might be a SQL Server pro, but I’m still a PowerShell novice. I learn best by doing, so I keep pushing myself to do more with PowerShell so that I can learn more. If you don’t already know this about the SqlServer PowerShell Module, you can access SQL Server …
Continue readingThe great tabs vs spaces debate is often framed as a matter of opinion or coding style. “As long as you’re consistent, it doesn’t matter.” Keep in mind that unlike your choice in footwear, coding style can’t be personal. I’m going to draw a line in the sand …
Continue readingWhen I started travelling to speak at SQL Server events, I committed that I would make the most of it. To me, that means a lot more than just attending the event where I’m speaking. Sure, I want to learn and network at the event, but it means more than that, …
Continue readingUpdated (2018-09-24): SQL Ops Studio is now generally available, and has been renamed Azure Data Studio. I've updated the cheat sheet to reflect the name change, but the shortcuts remain the same. Feel free to grab the updated PDF with the new label, or keep …
Continue readingAs a DBA, there seems to be a constant trickle of automation where I need to parse a file name out of a full path. So let's parse this stuff in T-SQL, even though other languages might be better for this.
Continue readingConfessions of a carbaholic: When I start thinking about `ROLLBACK`, I start thinking about rolls. Have you ever forgot to commit a transaction? Maybe you’ve even left for lunch and caused a problem while you were gone. Uncommitted transactions can cause all …
Continue readingBacking up to NUL is like backing up directly to the trash Linux folks have lots of jokes & fun t-shirts about /dev/null/. The null device is a handy location to dump output to, when you don’t actually care about the output. In PowerShell, you can use …
Continue readingAs part of Mohammad’s series of interviews, he interviewed me on my thoughts on the future of SQL Server, the DBA role, and the cloud. Read the interview on Mohammad’s site.
Continue readingWhen blocking becomes excessive, it can cause problems. Are your blocks excessive? Identifying blocking is one of the most basic things that a DBA should be monitoring for. I previously wrote about how to identify blocking in SQL Server and find the leading …
Continue readingI was recently interviewed by the Microsoft MVP Award Program about organizing the LGBT meetup at PASS Summit last year, and about running diverse, inclusive tech events here in Boston. We discuss why it’s important to have LGBT events, and other events that …
Continue readingI won’t be at PASS Summit this year, but that doesn’t mean I can’t give advice to those who will be there. I got an email asking for advice for Summit First-Timers, and after sending over the list of tips, I figured I’d write a blog post on the topic while I …
Continue readingWho's at the front of the line blocking all the traffic? During the course of normal processing in a database, blocking happens. Blocking is “by design” because your database is on ACID. In an OLTP database, most of your transactions are short in duration, so …
Continue readingUnfortunately, due to a change in plans, I’m not going to be at PASS Summit this year, so I won’t be hosting this meetup in 2017. Hopefully, next year the event will be back! Still want to meet up? If you’re bummed that this meetup isn’t happening (I know I …
Continue readingI often get asked, “Do you have any of your sessions recorded so I can watch them online?” And the answer has always been, “No, you’ll have to come see me in person.” I’m a tad of a perfectionist, so if I was going to record something just for publication …
Continue readingIn this post, I walk through identifying and fixing a serious performance issue with a multi-statement TVF in Dynamics CRM.
Continue reading1947 Nash Ambassador. Unfortunately, the SentryOne Community Ambassador program does not provide me with one of these. Last week, SentryOne announced their new PAC Community Ambassador program. I’m incredibly excited to be part of this new program. PAC? Huh? …
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