Andrew Clarke

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Andrew Clarke
Andrew Clarke has been developing software applications for over 35 years. He is a database expert, but also has had many years of experience in designing and programming applications and software tools. He has a particular interest in website-publishing and ECommerce. Before joining Redgate, he worked with the first two winners of the 'Apprentice' program at Amstrad, creating various business applications, He is the editor of Simple-Talk.

SSMS: The Query Window Keyboard Shortcuts

by Andrew Clarke | 10 June 2011 |

16 comments |

Simple-Talk's free wallchart of the most important SSMS keyboard shortcuts aims to help find all those curiously forgettable key combinations within SQL Server Management Studio that unlock the hidden magic that is available for editing and executing queries. Read more...

SQL Source Control: The Development Story, Part II

by Andrew Clarke | 02 September 2010 |

When creating SQL Source Control, the team had to make decisions as to which source control systems the tool would support, and needed to accomodate a range of different development practices. It also had to avoid the potential problems from the fundemental... Read more...

SQL Source Control: The Development Story

by Andrew Clarke | 22 July 2010 |

Often, there is a huge difference between software being easy to use, and easy to develop. When your pilot users tell you "by week three of any development project you've thrown out anything that takes time or just gets in your way", then it is time to be serious... Read more...

SmartAssembly: Eating Our Own Dogfood

by Andrew Clarke | 16 July 2010 |

Quite often at Red Gate, we are some of our own most enthusiastic software-users. SmartAssembly is a case in point. In the words of the current IT cliché, 'we eat our own dogfood'. We sent Andrew Clarke to find out more.... Read more...

Redesigning Red Gate's SQL Server Performance Monitoring and Alerting Tool

by Andrew Clarke | 08 July 2010 |

It isn't easy re-designing a successful tool, but it is fascinating work. Andrew Clarke talks about the challenges with Tom Randle and Adam Walker, the user experience designer and usability test coordinator, behind Red Gate’s SQL Server monitoring and alerting... Read more...

Microsoft Small Basic for .NET

by Andrew Clarke | 25 February 2010 |

6 comments |

Microsoft Small Basic is intended to be fun to use. It is that, and more besides. It has a great potential as a way of flinging together quick and cheerful applications, just like those happy days of childhood. Tetris anyone? Read more...

Who Tests the Tester?

by Andrew Clarke | 19 February 2010 |

It is scarcely surprising that it can take up to five years to release a new version of SQL Server when one understands the extent of the effort required to test it. When enterprises depend on the reliability of an application or tool such as SQL Backup, the... Read more...

Using .NET Reflector Add-ins

by Andrew Clarke | 19 November 2008 |

1 comment |

.NET Reflector by itself is great, but it really comes into its own with the help of some add-ins. Here we provide you with an introduction to the Add-ins, explain briefly what they do, and encourage you to write your own in order to get .NET Reflector to work the... Read more...

.NET Reflector: Soup to Nuts

by Andrew Clarke | 22 October 2008 |

1 comment |

.NET Reflector is almost an intrinsic part of the .NET Framework, a free tool for browsing the contents of a .NET assembly. When Lutz Roeder passed responsibility for development of the code to Red Gate, the team preserved the characteristic minimal look, focussing... Read more...

Selling Software

by Andrew Clarke | 27 March 2008 |

7 comments |

In some ways, wanting to make a living as a Software tool writer is like wanting to be a professional rock star or footballer. The success-stories are more visible than the others. Here, Andrew Clarke salutes the others and explains some of the pitfalls. Despite... Read more...

The Waffle Generator

by Andrew Clarke | 16 January 2008 |

4 comments |

Sometimes, silly programs have a less obvious useful purpose. Andrew Clarke takes his classic 'Waffle Generator', and provides it in various forms, including a CSS Stylesheet tester, and as a Generator for SQL Data Generator. The Waffle Generator puts text into your... Read more...

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