Dear SQL DBA

Kendra Little's podcast discussing database performance tuning, software development, and working with data.

Power BI Performance Tuning with Eugene Meidinger 01/15/2024

Power BI Performance Tuning with Eugene Meidinger Eugene Meidinger stops by to chat about Power BI Performance Tuning with Kendra. We talk about the various engines and languages used in Power BI and big-picture strategies for getting performance from the start. Eugene then talks about the community of tools and techniques that can be used to dig in and solve performance problems in Power BI. Eugene's new Pluralsight course on Perf tuning Power BI launches on February 5th, 2024. The first 50 sales will be only $20. If you don't get one of those lucky spots, use code RACOONS to get 50% off. Find more of Eugene's content at sqlgene.com. /episode/index/show/dearsqldba/id/29495348

Automated Deployments and the Art of the Database with Database Michael J Swart 09/26/2023

Automated Deployments and the Art of the Database with Database Michael J Swart In this episode, Michael J Swart joins the Dear SQL DBA podcast to talk about databases, automation, and how he’s come to illustrate some of the coolest blog posts ever to be written about data. Check out Michael’s art and blog posts at and explore his posts by illustration at . /episode/index/show/dearsqldba/id/28147256

Jer and Kendar Explore Optimized Locking 09/04/2023

Jer and Kendar Explore Optimized Locking SQL Server has a new feature that’s currently only available in Azure SQL Database: Optimized Locking. joins the podcast to talk through and nerd out on locks, blocks, and how to pronounce the acronym “LAQ”. Learn more about this feature online: from Microsoft Learn <– A much longer read on Microsoft Learn Kendra's /episode/index/show/dearsqldba/id/27935496

Advice for Technical Leaders with Alex Robson 08/25/2023

Advice for Technical Leaders with Alex Robson Ever wondered what it's like to be a VP or Director of Engineering? Kendra chats with Alex Robson about leadership in technology, what you can get out of coaching or an MBA program (should you be interested), and what makes a high performing team. We'll also chat about recommended content to hone your tech leadership skills. Alex Robson's site and blog: Alex's content recommendations for folks who want to think more about technical leadership: "I believe Camille Fournier and Will Larson are wonderful writers with invaluable insights and advice. For product thinking, I recommend folks read The Lean Startup by Eric Ries, Principles of Lean Product Development Flow by Don Reinertsen, Safer Sooner Happier by Jonathan Smart, and Accelerate by Dr. Nicole Forsgren. Be sure to read books on leadership that are outside of engineering. Dan Pink’s Drive and Eliyahu Goldratt’s The Goal are two of my usual recommendations. Last but not least - read books that are about human behavior. Both economists and psychologists ask important questions that may help you unlock better ways to relate to and understand others. I love Daniel Kahneman’s Thinking Fast and Slow, and highly recommend Mistakes Were Made (but not by me) by Carol Tavins and Elliot Aronson." /episode/index/show/dearsqldba/id/27852801

Erik Darling on Performance Tuning 08/21/2023

Erik Darling on Performance Tuning SQL Server performance tuning expert Erik Darling joins the podcast today to chat about how good queries can go bad, how bad queries can get better, and the question on everyone's mind: if he was a database, what database would he be? This episode contains some mildly explicit language. Erik's blog: https://erikdarlingdata.com/blog/ Erik's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ErikDarlingData /episode/index/show/dearsqldba/id/27809619

What's up with Tech Interviews in 2023? With Jeremiah Peschka. 08/11/2023

What's up with Tech Interviews in 2023? With Jeremiah Peschka. Tech interviews are weird and wacky. How did they get this way, and how SHOULD they be? Jeremiah Peschka joins us to discuss. /episode/index/show/dearsqldba/id/27730560

Data Roles: DBA, DBRE, and Data Engineer 08/04/2023

Data Roles: DBA, DBRE, and Data Engineer There are lots of jobs for data folks. In this episode, I'm discussing three hot job titles: Database Administrator (DBA), Database Reliability Engineer (DBRE), and Data Engineer (DE) To see the venn diagrams I made for these roles, visit https://catalyzesql.com/blog/1/01/01/dear-sql-dba-data-roles-dba-dbre-de/ /episode/index/show/dearsqldba/id/27662565

When NOT to choose SQL Server to store your data 06/22/2023

When NOT to choose SQL Server to store your data I wrote a blog post inspired by 's excellent suggested interview question, but I inverted it: When should you NOT choose SQL Server to store your data? My thoughts: * When you don't actually need a database * When you're not using structured data * When you want pure analytics, or something other than a workload involving OLTP * When you need to write to multiple nodes for a single database * When your team wants a PAAS solution (lil pedantic on this, the hosted versions are slightly different) * When your team needs a cheap solution What do you think? This podcast is available in blog post form: /episode/index/show/dearsqldba/id/27239196

Down Tools Week 2020 08/05/2020

Down Tools Week 2020 It's Down Tools Week at Redgate. I share what "Down Tools Week" is, what I'm working on this week, and why I think it's a terrific experience for fostering creativity, innovation, and teamwork. In closing I share some thoughts on variations of this kind of project which you might use in your own organization, whether you are a developer, DBA, or have another role. /episode/index/show/dearsqldba/id/15494222

3 Things That Shouldn't Be Normal in Database Development 07/23/2020

3 Things That Shouldn't Be Normal in Database Development Many people use entrenched processes for database development that have been in place so long that it's hard to imagine doing it any other way. In this episode, I share three things that should NOT be normal for database development-- but which are incredibly common. This episode is inspired by the book, "The Unicorn Project", by Gene Kim. /episode/index/show/dearsqldba/id/15324512

Everything I Never Wanted to Know about Collation 07/16/2020

Everything I Never Wanted to Know about Collation I'm not an expert on collation in SQL Server, but there are a few important facts which I've had to learn the hard way. In this episode I share the basics, along with helpful resources to learn more. /episode/index/show/dearsqldba/id/15232754

The Manager's Guide to Git Training for DBAs 07/08/2020

The Manager's Guide to Git Training for DBAs Learning Git can be daunting for DBAs. In this 20 minute episode, I discuss why learning a VCS is necessary for DBAs, then give three tips on scoping your project, choosing the right tools, and making sure the project is successful. /episode/index/show/dearsqldba/id/15133019

How Do Developers and DBAs Collaborate in a DevOps World? 06/12/2019

How Do Developers and DBAs Collaborate in a DevOps World? You're a DBA, and your development team is all-in on doing DevOps, and they want to include the database. Should your DBA team limit the permissions or options for automation? Or should you instead re-think how your two teams work together? In this episode, Kendra discusses DevOps team topologies, the changing role of DBA teams in DevOps, and the opportunities available in creating communities of practice around database development. /episode/index/show/dearsqldba/id/10137231

What a Software Evangelist Does - and Where the Job is Going 01/29/2019

What a Software Evangelist Does - and Where the Job is Going I've been working as an 'Evangelist' at Redgate for close to six months now, and one question keeps coming up: what exactly does an Evangelist do at a software company? In 21 minutes, I explain the core mission of Evangelists, and why I think being part of the sales process is an important part of the future of software evangelism. /episode/index/show/dearsqldba/id/8432414

DBA Jobs: Threats and Opportunities 01/17/2019

DBA Jobs: Threats and Opportunities Jobs change over time, and database administrator jobs are no different. In this 35 minute recorded Twitch livestream (my first ever!) I talk about threats to DBA jobs and the related opportunities. /episode/index/show/dearsqldba/id/8299142

DevOps Terms - and Why They Matter to Database Specialists 10/02/2018

DevOps Terms - and Why They Matter to Database Specialists In this session, I discuss scrum, continuous deployment, test driven development, DevOps, and related concepts. I close with a quick discussion of why Database Administrators and Developers should care about DevOps. /episode/index/show/dearsqldba/id/7121438

Employee Agreements & Contracts - Best Practices 08/29/2018

Employee Agreements & Contracts - Best Practices So you've got an employee agreement in front of you: now what? In this 23 minute episode, I talk about practical steps you should take to make sure that you understand the terms of your contract, and how to potentially negotiate the terms. /episode/index/show/dearsqldba/id/6983133

Employee Agreements & Contracts for DBAs & Developers - Anti-Patterns 08/11/2018

Employee Agreements & Contracts for DBAs & Developers - Anti-Patterns When you take a new job in software engineering or in IT, within the paperwork there often lurks an employee agreement: a contract between you and your employer. In this half-hour live episode we'll talk about why these contracts exist, and multiple anti-patterns you should avoid. /episode/index/show/dearsqldba/id/6912743

Remembering Robert Davis, DBA Hero 08/01/2018

Remembering Robert Davis, DBA Hero What makes a person a DBA Hero? In this episode, I talk about how Robert Davis made a huge impact on the SQL Server community, and the traits that Robert displayed that I hope to emulate. /episode/index/show/dearsqldba/id/6878471

Why Don't You Teach Service Broker? 07/19/2018

Why Don't You Teach Service Broker? I've gotten a few questions about whether I recommend learning Service Broker, and recently I was asked if I'm planning to make any courses on Service Broker. In this episode, I talk about why I personally haven't become an expert with Broker, the factors that I believe play into Service Broker adoption, and other resources online for learning Service Broker in SQL Server. /episode/index/show/dearsqldba/id/6826926

Training Resources for SQL Noobs 06/13/2018

Training Resources for SQL Noobs New to learning SQL Server? Get the scoop on free online resources to look up information, ask questions of community members, and learn SQL Server from the ground up. /episode/index/show/dearsqldba/id/6702393

Dealing With a Lack of Control as a DBA 05/18/2018

Dealing With a Lack of Control as a DBA This week I discuss a question that I've gotten in many forms over the years - a lot of the scenarios are so specific that it's hard to keep them anonymous, but they can be generalized as a bigger problem: how do I deal with being responsible for things that I can't fully control? /episode/index/show/dearsqldba/id/6606546

Do DBAs Need College Degrees? 05/03/2018

Do DBAs Need College Degrees? Our question this week comes from someone who's excited to be on a healthy career path, building their work experience as a DBA. They're worried: will lacking a college degree block their career growth down the line? I talk about my experience and also check out current job listings to answer the question. /episode/index/show/dearsqldba/id/6549822

How Do I Prepare for Certification Exams? 04/23/2018

How Do I Prepare for Certification Exams? In this episode, I talk about how to strategize for and prepare for Microsoft Certification exams, using the Database Fundamentals exam as an example. /episode/index/show/dearsqldba/id/6497574

I Want to Work for Myself 04/05/2018

I Want to Work for Myself Our question this week comes from someone who would like to be self-employed. In this episode, I talk about three big things you need to think about to start working for yourself, and two possible paths to get there. /episode/index/show/dearsqldba/id/6450401

Auto-Tuning and the #1 Mindset Problem I had as a DBA 12/01/2017

Auto-Tuning and the #1 Mindset Problem I had as a DBA A few folks have asked: will auto-tuning and adaptive query plans mean the end of performance tuning jobs in SQL Server? In this week's episode, I talk about why I'm excited about those features rather than afraid of them. Digging into this problem, I share the #1 mindset problem I had as a DBA, why this mindset is so common among database professionals, and a daily habit that can change your approach to new technology. /episode/index/show/dearsqldba/id/6001734

Slowing Down Your Motor Mouth - Presentation Tips for Fast Talkers 11/17/2017

Slowing Down Your Motor Mouth - Presentation Tips for Fast Talkers Are you worried that you talk too fast when you give a speech, talk, or presentation? Is fear being a fast-talker one of the concerns that keeps you from getting started with public speaking? In this episode, I give you simple, practical tips that I've used to successfully improve the way I give presentations. Four years ago, I got frustrated feedback from listeners who had a hard time keeping up with my mouth; now I get congratulations that the pace was great. /episode/index/show/dearsqldba/id/5956480

I Thought I Was An Introvert. Turns Out I Was Anxious as #@*( 11/08/2017

I Thought I Was An Introvert. Turns Out I Was Anxious as #@*( In this week's episode, I'm not answering a reader's question. Instead, I'm talking about my personal experience with anxiety. /episode/index/show/dearsqldba/id/5922114

The Death of SQL Server Service Packs 10/05/2017

The Death of SQL Server Service Packs SQL Server Service Packs are going away, starting with SQL Server 2017. I talk about why I think this is a good thing, and discuss Cumulative Updates, Service Packs, and the process of updating SQL Server. /episode/index/show/dearsqldba/id/5811743

Love and Hate for SSMS 09/28/2017

Love and Hate for SSMS People have strong feelings about SQL Server Management Studio: they love it AND they hate it. In this week's episode, I talk about why people have such conflicting feelings about SSMS, and how to work it all out. /episode/index/show/dearsqldba/id/5787808

Dear SQL DBA

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