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Authors  >  Grant Fritchey

Grant Fritchey Grant Fritchey
Grant Fritchey, SQL Server MVP, works for Red Gate Software as Product Evangelist. In his time as a DBA and developer, he has worked at three failed dot–coms, a major consulting company, a global bank and an international insurance & engineering company. Grant volunteers for the Professional Association of SQL Server Users (PASS). He is the author of the books SQL Server Execution Plans (Simple-Talk) and SQL Server 2008 Query Performance Tuning Distilled (Apress). He is one of the founding officers of the Southern New England SQL Server Users Group (SNESSUG) and it’s current president. He earned the nickname “The Scary DBA.” He even has an official name plate, and displays it proudly.
SQL Cop Review
by Grant Fritchey | 19 January 2012 |  7 comments |
Static code analysis is used a lot by application programmers, but there have been surprisingly few tools for SQL development that perform a function analogous to Resharper, dotTest, or CodeRush. Wouldn't it be great to have something that can indicate where there... Read more...
Centralized management: Tips for Managing Backups on Multiple Servers
by Grant Fritchey | 13 December 2011 |
Managing backups on a handful of servers should be a relatively straightforward process, but what about DBAs that need to automate to stay on top of large numbers of servers? What options are available, and how do they compare? Grant Fritchey looks at what's out there. Read more...
Backup Verification: Tips for Database Backup Testing
by Grant Fritchey | 06 December 2011 |  4 comments |
A Backup system is merely part of a recovery system. If your backups can't be used to recover the database, then they're useless. Do you regularly make sure that you can restore a database from your backups? Read more...
Faster Restores: Best Practices to Increase Speed
by Grant Fritchey | 02 December 2011 |  2 comments |
Backups are an everyday part of DBA life, whereas restores tend to happen on call at 3 a.m. In this article, Grant Fritchey looks at what you should be doing to make your restores as quick and seamless as possible. Read more...
Grant Fritchey's SQL Server Howlers
by Grant Fritchey | 30 November 2011 |  17 comments |
We decided to ask various well-known SQL Server people to write about their favourite SQL Server Howlers. These are the common misunderstandings about how SQL Server works that end in tears, and plaintive forum questions. Grant Fritchey opens the series with some of... Read more...
7 Preventable Backup Errors
by Grant Fritchey | 31 October 2011 |  6 comments |
The loss of a company's data is often enough to put the company out of business; and yet backup errors are generally avoidable with the application of common sense rather than deep technical knowledge. Grant digs into memories of his long experience of giving forum... Read more...
SSMS Tools Pack 2.0
by Grant Fritchey | 26 October 2011 |  7 comments |
If you work with SSMS, you’ll know how frustrating it can be when tasks you perform every day aren’t part of the core features. Mladen Prajdic certainly did, which is why he developed his free SSMS Tools Pack. Now on its second version, Grant Fritchey explains the... Read more...
Auditing DDL Changes in SQL Server databases
by Grant Fritchey | 12 October 2011 |  7 comments |
Even where Source Control isn't being used by developers, it is still possible to automate the process of tracking the changes being made to a database and put those into Source Control, in order to track what changed and when. You can even get an email alert when... Read more...
SQL# (SQLsharp): A Review
by Grant Fritchey | 13 September 2011 |  14 comments |
Only the brave, and foolhardy, write production CLR routines if you can get the functionality already-written and tested. Whether you’re a DBA or developer, there are plenty of times when a CLR routine will save a lot of time, and occasionally provide new functionality. Read more...
Preventing Problems in SQL Server
by Grant Fritchey | 15 August 2011 |  6 comments |
It is never a good idea to let your users be the ones to tell you of database server outages. It is far better to be able to spot potential problems by being alerted for the most relevant conditions on your servers at the best threshold. This will take time and... Read more...
SQL Virtual Restore and the Sandbox Development Environment
by Grant Fritchey | 15 July 2011 |
It is a problem to provide enough data for database development work, especially when it has to be managed, and has to comply with the conditions for using live data. Added to that are the constraints of disk space and the problem of providing risk-free deployment.... Read more...
Object Level Recovery with SQL Virtual Restore
by Grant Fritchey | 15 June 2011 |
Just occasionally, a user's mistake can make far more demands on a DBA than just a simple point-in-time restore. When things get complicated, and you have to work in a hurry, then that's when SQL Virtual Restore and SQL Data Compare can work together to save the day. Read more...
SQL Backup Pro for the Accidental DBA
by Grant Fritchey | 10 June 2011 |
If you've suddenly found yourself responsible for maintaining and backing up your company's servers, you're an 'accidental DBA'. If you've been dropped in the deep end, let Grant Fritchey show you through the backup and restore functionality of Red Gate's SQL Backup... Read more...
SQL Server Backup and Restore for the Accidental DBA
by Grant Fritchey | 24 May 2011 |  7 comments |
Not everyone who is tasked with the job of ensuring that databases are backed up, and easily restorable, consider themselves to be database administrators. If you are one of these 'Accidental DBAs' then Grant Fritchey has some good straightforward advice for you to... Read more...
It's 3AM and I'm on call
by Grant Fritchey | 27 April 2011 |  7 comments |
If you are part of a team that is required to ensure that an application stays running at all hours, then you're likely to experience that 3AM-callout feeling. Grant knows all too well what is required, and gives hard-won advice on the best way of keeping on top of... Read more...
Performing DBCC Checks Using SQL Virtual Restore
by Grant Fritchey | 07 April 2011 |  5 comments |
Ever restored a corrupted database from the backup, only to find that the backups are corrupted too - All the backups? Sure it can happen and it isn't nice when it does. To check that a database backup is internally consistent you have to use DBCC CheckDB. On a huge... Read more...
SQL Strategies for 'Versioned' Data
by Grant Fritchey | 17 March 2011 |  13 comments |
If you keep your data according to its version number, but need to work only with a particular version, what is the best SQL for the job? Which one works best? Which one do you use and when? Read more...
Supporting Large Scale Team Development
by Grant Fritchey | 16 March 2011 |  3 comments |
With a large-scale development of a database application, the task of supporting a large number of development and test databases, keeping them up to date with different builds can soon become ridiculously complex and costly. Grant Fritchey demonstrates a novel... Read more...
Change Management and Source Control
by Grant Fritchey | 03 March 2011 |  11 comments |
So, given the many good reasons for using Version Control systems for managing the changes in database applications, how does one go about the rather different routines of team development, such as testing, continuous integration, and managing data? What are the... Read more...
Controlling Execution Plans with Hints
by Grant Fritchey | 12 November 2009 |  9 comments |
The Query Optimizer gets it right most of the time, but occasionally it chooses a plan that isn't the best possible. You can give the Query Optimiser a better idea by using Table, Join and Query hints. These come with a risk: Any choices you force on the Optimizer... Read more...
SQL Server Execution Plans - eBook Download
by Grant Fritchey | 07 October 2009 |  12 comments |
Why is my query running slow? Why isn't my index getting used? In order to answer these questions, you have to ask the same return question in each case: have you looked at the execution plan? Grant Fritchey provides the only dedicated and detailed guide to this... Read more...
Understanding More Complex Query Plans
by Grant Fritchey | 26 February 2009 |  4 comments |
In order to be able to tackle performance issues in SQL Server , and write effective SQL, it is essential to gain a sound understanding of execution plans. Grant's previous article described graphical execution plans for Simple SQL queries. He now moves on to... Read more...
Graphical Execution Plans for Simple SQL Queries
by Grant Fritchey | 16 December 2008 |  15 comments |
Learning how to read and analyze execution plans takes time and effort. But once you gain some experience, you will find them an essential skill for getting to grips with performance issues in SQL Server Queries. Grant here describes the range of execution plans for... Read more...
SQL Server Execution Plans
by Grant Fritchey | 30 June 2008 |  2 comments |
Why is my query running slow? Why isn't my index getting used? In order to answer these questions, you have to ask the same return question in each case: have you looked at the execution plan? Grant Fritchey provides the only dedicated and detailed guide to this... Read more...
Execution Plan Basics
by Grant Fritchey | 11 May 2008 |  37 comments |
Every day, out in the various discussion boards devoted to Microsoft SQL Server, the same types of questions come up again and again: Why is this query running slow? Is my index getting used? Why isn't my index getting used? Why does this query run faster than this... Read more...
SQL Server Performance Crib Sheet
by Grant Fritchey | 31 May 2007 |  18 comments |
Grant Fritchey provides an eagle-eye view of effective tools, strategies and techniques for SQL Server performance measurement, tuning and testing. Read more...
SQL Server Error Handling Workbench
by Grant Fritchey | 20 February 2007 |  28 comments |
Grant Fritchey steps into the workbench arena, with an example-fuelled examination of catching and gracefully handling errors in SQL 2000 and 2005, including worked examples of the new TRY..CATCH capabilities. Read more...
SQL Server 2005 Backups
by Grant Fritchey | 20 December 2006 |  94 comments |
If business today is data, then the entire enterprise is in the capable hands of you, the SQL Server DBA. Before you panic, check out Grant's detailed dissection of SQL 2005 backup and recovery regimes. Read more...
SQL Server Performance Testing
by Grant Fritchey | 15 May 2006 |  13 comments |
When faced with two viable solutions to a badly compromised database design, one using clustered indexes and the other compound primary keys, Grant Fritchey took the only sensible route: he gathered hard performance data... Read more...
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