Robyn Page and Phil Factor

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Robyn Page and Phil Factor
Robyn Page is a consultant with Enformatica and USP Networks. She is also a well known actress, being most famous for her role as Katie Williams, barmaid in the Television Series Family Affairs.

Phil Factor (real name withheld to protect the guilty), aka Database Mole, has 20 years of experience with database-intensive applications. Despite having once been shouted at by a furious Bill Gates at an exhibition in the early 1980s, he has remained resolutely anonymous throughout his career.

NET Performance Cribsheet

by Robyn Page and Phil Factor | 11 May 2008 |

2 comments |

Robyn and Phil tackle the topic of how to make .NET applications perform well. As usual, they try to take a terse, practical approach to the mysteries of JIT, CLR and GC. After giving many performance tips, they come to the conclusion that rules and tips are less... Read more...

SQL String User Function Workbench: part 2

by Robyn Page and Phil Factor | 28 April 2008 |

3 comments |

In which Robyn and Phil continue with their popular series on TSQL String User-functions. In this final episode, they pull together the themes from their TSQL String Array Workbench and String User Function workbench, to provide a simple TSQL string-handling package. Read more...

SQL String User Function Workbench: part 1

by Robyn Page and Phil Factor | 15 April 2008 |

24 comments |

Robyn and Phil go back to basics and hammer out some basic String-handling User Functions in TSQL, based on Python examples. Plenty of sample code, and TSQL programming tricks. Read more...

Getting HTML Data: Workbench

by Robyn Page and Phil Factor | 27 March 2008 |

10 comments |

Robyn and Phil start their investigation into XHTML by showing how to use TSQL to parse it to extract data, and demonstrate how to turn an XHTML table into a SQL Server Table! Read more...

TSQL String Array Workbench

by Robyn Page and Phil Factor | 16 March 2008 |

8 comments |

Robyn and Phil show how to use XML-based arrays to make string handling easier in SQL Server 2005/2008, and illustrate the techniques with some useful functions, one of which copies the PHP str_Replace function. Read more...

SQL Server Alerts: Soup to Nuts

by Robyn Page and Phil Factor | 19 February 2008 |

17 comments |

In which Robyn Page and Phil Factor try to get to grips with the difficult subject of SQL Server Alerting, and give you enough detail to put effective alerting systems into your database. Read more...

The SQLCMD workbench

by Robyn Page and Phil Factor | 07 January 2008 |

21 comments |

Robyn and Phil feel strongly that there are two striking features in SSMS that extends its usefulness dramatically. The first is the Template, and the second is the powerful functionality hidden by those strange words 'SQLCMD Mode'. Here they try to demonstrate how... Read more...

TSQL Regular Expression Workbench

by Robyn Page and Phil Factor | 27 November 2007 |

22 comments |

Robyn and Phil start by writing a gentle introduction to using Regular expressions for validation, data cleaning and data import in TSQL, and finally end up with a routine for doing google-style searches that show the context of hits. It's all done in the spirit of... Read more...

Importing Text-based data: Workbench

by Robyn Page and Phil Factor | 23 October 2007 |

29 comments |

Robyn and Phil return with some fresh ideas about how to import text files into SQL Server, without resorting to DTS or SSIS scripting. They go on to show how much can be done in TSQL Read more...

Reporting Services Cribsheet

by Robyn Page and Phil Factor | 07 August 2007 |

16 comments |

If you tend to just nod gravely and stay silent when SQL Server Reporting Services is mentioned, here is your opportunity to get up to speed with one of the more important technologies associated with ?SQL Server Read more...

Crosstab Pivot-table Workbench

by Robyn Page and Phil Factor | 22 July 2007 |

34 comments |

Robyn and Phil turn their attention to the bedrock of management reporting, the Pivot Table. Under Phil's 'wild man' influence, they end up with some rather radical ideas. Read more...

RSS Newsfeed Workbench

by Robyn Page and Phil Factor | 06 July 2007 |

4 comments |

Robyn and Phil decide to build an RSS newsfeed in TSQL, using the power of SQL Server's XML. Read more...

XML Jumpstart Workbench

by Robyn Page and Phil Factor | 27 June 2007 |

26 comments |

In which Robyn and Phil decide that the best way of starting to learn XML is to jump in and take a ride around the block. Read more...

Process Delegation Workbench

by Robyn Page and Phil Factor | 07 June 2007 |

16 comments |

Robyn Page and Phil Factor show a useful technique for delegating SQL Server processes to a 'Back-Office', by using 'user-defined Alerts'. Read more...

SQL Server 2005 DDL Trigger Workbench

by Robyn Page and Phil Factor | 25 May 2007 |

26 comments |

Robun and Phil's latest workbench shows you how to track and log all database changes, including changes to tables, logins, users and queues, using SQL 2005 DDL triggers. Read more...

SQL Server Replication Crib Sheet

by Robyn Page and Phil Factor | 14 May 2007 |

13 comments |

Robyn Page and Phil Factor delve into all the things you need to know, rather than want to know, about SQL Server replication. Read more...

SQL Server Grouping Workbench

by Robyn Page and Phil Factor | 26 April 2007 |

23 comments |

A gentle lesson about GROUP BY on the Nursery Slopes develops gradually into a wild ride off-piste amongst the pine-trees. Read more...

The Helper Table Workbench

by Robyn Page and Phil Factor | 16 March 2007 |

27 comments |

Cursors and iterations are both renowned for slowing down Transact SQL code, but sometimes seem unavoidable. In this workbench, Robyn Page and Phil Factor demonstrate some set-based techniques for string manipulation and time interval-based reporting, which use... Read more...

SQL Server Security Workbench Part 1

by Robyn Page and Phil Factor | 06 March 2007 |

19 comments |

Robyn Page and Phil Factor present practical T-SQL techniques for controlling access to sensitive information within the database, and preventing malicious SQL injection attacks. Read more...

SQL Server Excel Workbench

by Robyn Page and Phil Factor | 06 February 2007 |

102 comments |

The need to produce Excel reports from SQL Server is very common. Here, Robyn Page and Phil Factor present practical techniques for creating and manipulating Excel spreadsheets from SQL Server, using linked servers and T-SQL. The pièce de résistance is a stored... Read more...

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