C# Async: What is it, and how does it work?
by Clive Tong | 15 May 2012
| 
the biggest new feature in C# 5 is Async, and its associated Await (contextual) keyword. Anybody who is faced with creating Metro applications for Windows 8 is having to tackle the very different mindset of Async Programming. Clive explains what is happening under the covers and how one can investigate, using .NET Reflector.
Backups, What Are They Good For?
by Grant Fritchey | 15 May 2012
| 
1 comment | 
We've heard the confessional story from Pixar that Toy Story 2 was almost lost due to a bad backup, but sometimes there is no 'almost'. Grant Fritchey casts a sympathetic eye over some catastrophic data losses, and gives advice on how to avoid what he has termed an RGE (résumé generating event).
What Counts For a DBA: Imagination
by drsql | 11 May 2012
| 10 comments 
Despite my great enthusiasm for databases and programming, it occurs to me that every database system I've ever worked on has been, in terms of its inputs and outputs, downright dull.
SQL VIEW Basics
by Joe Celko | 10 May 2012
| 20 comments | 
SQL Views are essential for the database developer. However, it is common to see them misued, or neglected. Joe Celko tackles an introduction to the subject, but there is something about the topic that makes it likely that even the experienced developer will find out something new from reading it.
Handling Deadlocks in SQL Server
by Jonathan Kehayias | 10 May 2012
| 1 comment | 
In this excerpt from his book Troubleshooting SQL Server: A Guide for the Accidental DBA, Jonathan Kehayias provides a guide to identifying the causes, reacting to, and ultimately preventing the dreaded deadlock.
SQL Scripts Manager and IronPython
by Timothy Wiseman | 04 May 2012
| 
As well as running TSQL and PowerShell, the free SQL Scripts Manager tool can also run Python scripts. This allows even more sophisticated scripting possibilities for managing automated database tasks.
The PoSh DBA: Grown-Up PowerShell Functions
by Laerte Junior | 10 May 2012
| 10 comments | 
Laerte goes step-by-step through the process of tidying up and making more reusable an untidy collection of PowerShell routines, showing how pipelines and advanced functions can make PowerShell more effective in helping to automate many of the working DBA's chores.
Towards the Perfect Build
by Matt Wrock | 30 April 2012
| 1 comment | 
An automated build and deployment system is no longer a dream. Now that PowerShell has matured as a product, and since the emergence of new tools such as Psake and Chocolatey, the ambition of the perfect build process has come nearer to reality.
.NET Memory Management and Finalization
by Jean-Philippe Gouigoux | 02 May 2012
| 11 comments | 
In this excerpt from his new book, Practical Performance Profiling: Improving the Efficiency of .NET Code, Jean-Phillipe Gouigoux discusses the Dispose mechanism and the finalization process in the context of .NET Garbage Collection
Practical PowerShell: Pruning File Trees and Extending Cmdlets
by Michael Sorens | 23 April 2012
| 2 comments | 
One of the most radical features of PowerShell is amongst the least known. It is possible to extend the buit-in Cmdlets to provide extra functionality. One can add or remove parameters to make subsequent scripting simpler. Michael shows how this is done to meet a practical requirement:, excluding entire subtrees from a recursive directory trawl for automating source control.
Over 400,000 Microsoft professionals subscribe to the Simple-Talk technical journal. Join today, it's fast, simple, free and secure.
