A Domain for Data
Voice of the DBA
A domain is a set of possible values (among other definitions). I use this word a lot in my work, often with a problem domain (the thing you're trying to solve) or the domain of possible values (like the US States and Territories list). That last one is interesting, as this is often the set of data we stick in some reference or lookup table to use in a form on a screen. There is a domain as part of the SQL specification, which I never knew about. I was reading . This doesn't exist in SQL Server and T-SQL, but it has been a part of PostgreSQL for quite a few versions. The article talks about...
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Database DevOps Metrics
Voice of the DBA
is dedicated to helping others build software better and faster, at a higher quality, and in a way that is more efficient. They continue to compile and publish report every year, which is a fascinating read. As a part of the report, they have identified that identify high performing organizations in terms of software. These are divided into two areas: throughput and stability. Throughput measures are change lead time and deployment frequency. Stability measures are the change fail percentage and failed deployment recovery time. Read the rest of
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Is GenAI Coming Faster Than You Think?
Voice of the DBA
If you're a fan, no. You're chomping at the bit, waiting to get everyone using GenAI models in their work. If you're skeptical, then you might think it's never coming to take your job, be a personal assistant, help you with coding, etc. Pick the task it won't help you with. A more nuanced view, which is similar to mine, is from Kendra Little, in which she says , I'm not quite as pro-AI as Kendra, mostly because I see so many companies that are slow to change, slow to adopt new tech, slow to adjust their thinking. They just soldier on and keep running their business, as they've been doing for...
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The Inefficiencies of Kubernetes
Voice of the DBA
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The End of SQL Server 2019
Voice of the DBA
Well, not really the end. I doubt anyone running SQL Server 2019 is going to stop (or upgrade) just because mainstream support ended. Actually, I wonder how many of you know that on Feb 28, 2025. I do think the 6 or 7 of you running Big Data Clusters likely knew this was the end of any support. I saw on this, which includes a survey of which versions are still running. This is from an IT asset firm and matches . 44% of you are running SQL Server 2019, which is the largest percentage. Since there's an additional 32% of you running versions older than 2019, I'm sure that upgrading isn't a...
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Monoliths and Microservices
Voice of the DBA
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More Supply Chain Attacks
Voice of the DBA
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Lower Your Attack Surface Area
Voice of the DBA
It's no surprise that our systems are under attack by all sorts of criminals. Some organized, some opportunistic, some just aiming for vandalism. We need to protect our digital systems to prevent issues, and a part of better protection is reducing the number of places that are vulnerable. Those places include databases. discusses the rising costs of data breaches and the increased frequency of attacks. It also examines the increasing number of regulations that are demanding proof of stricter security measures. It can be hard enough to defend production systems, let alone protecting dev/test...
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Tracking Table Sizes
Voice of the DBA
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The Job Outlook for Database Professionals
Voice of the DBA
This is a strange time for many technology professionals and their employment. It seems many organizations have open positions and are struggling to fill those slots with qualified candidates (). At the same time, many other organizations have followed the large technology firms (FAANG, MSFT) and in the last year. At the same time, with the hype and rapid growth of GenAI systems, we have companies that are looking to machines to fill some of their labor needs. as their plan was to use AI tech to help them write enough code. They've seen productivity gains with AI tech, so they aren't adding...
info_outlineThe cloud has been a controversial concept for much of its existence. While the idea has been around for many decades, AWS started selling IT services in 2006, with Azure following suit in 2008. Since then, the use of cloud services has grown tremendously. While some applications and organizations have embraced the idea from the beginning. I found many of you at SQL Server Central were very hesitant at first. I guess some of you are still skeptical about the value of a production database in a public cloud.
From the beginning, I've felt that cloud computing has a place in the world, but in a way that is more appropriate for some situations than others. In terms of database (and maybe compute services), if you have a very well-known and predictable workload, the cloud can be very expensive. It might still be a good choice, but I think it often isn't. If you have a variable or growing workload, then the cloud might serve you better than trying to keep up with new hardware in your own data center.
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