Recently I ran into an issue where I had a SQL Server instance that needed to have a database restored on it.  A pretty simple task, right?  Well, it turns out that I did not have rights on the system to do the restore.  My client did not have a system administrator password and did [...]

Ever look at a screen’s output and get that puckered feeling in the pit of your stomach? If you have been working in this profession for any amount of time, you know the feeling I’m talking about. The feeling that makes you think you would rather be living in Montana making woodcarvings at a roadside [...]

I absolutely and firmly believe that Data Administrators are the unsung heroes of the Information Technology profession. This blog will be shorter than most of the upcoming blogs you will see from me.  As a writer, I’m not noted for “keeping it brief”.   I used to be an Oracle instructor and I like to pack [...]

Ever fumble around at 2 AM looking for that SQL statement you wrote a while back? You know, that one special script that will give you just the information you need to solve the problem and go back to bed? I must admit, I have done my fair share of moonlight script hunting. This blog [...]

One of the benefits of my 20-year career (I think) is that most of the jobs I have held can be described as somewhat “unforgiving”, shall we say… What these jobs taught me is that I needed more than just technical expertise to become successful in my chosen profession. I quickly learned that becoming proficient [...]