Simple Talk RSS Feed

SQL Backup and Restore

Shawn McGehee — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

A DBA's tasks, from day-to-day, are rarely constant; with one exception: the need to ensure each and every day that any database in their charge can be restored and recovered, in the event of error of disaster. In this book, you'll discover how to perform each of these backup and restore operations using SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS), basic T-SQL scripts and Red Gate's SQL Backup tool.

EPUB versions of the books

Red Gate Books — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Simple Talk Newsletter

Red Gate Books — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT

As an experiment, we are publishing the newsletter in an alternative eBook format so that it can be read offline. The instructions for downloading it to your mobile device will vary according to the device. For the iPad Touch, iPhone and iPad you'll find you can use Apple's iBooks, Amazon Kindle or Stanza.

Complete Showplan Operators

Fabiano Amorim — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Fabiano Amorim has taken the time to reallv drill into the behavior of a small set of execution plan operators in an effort to explain the optimizer's behavior. He's explored why things happen, how you can change them, positively or negatively, and he's done it all in an approachable style.

Troubleshooting SQL Server: A Guide for the Accidental DBA

Jonathan Kehayias — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Three SQL Server MVPs, and stalwarts of the SQLServerCentral and MSDN community forums, provide fascinating insight into the most common SQL Server problems, why they occur, and how they can be diagnosed using tools such as Performance Monitor, Dynamic Management Views and server-side tracing. The focus is on practical solutions for removing root causes of these problems, rather than "papering over the cracks".

SQL Server Hardware

Glenn Berry — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 00:00:00 GMT

SQL Server Hardware will provide the fundamental knowledge and resources you need to make intelligent decisions about choice, and optimal installation and configuration, of SQL Server hardware, operating system and the SQL Server RDBMS.

SQL Server Statistics

Holger Schmeling — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT

A Distribution Statistics object is a sampled map of the distribution of data in a table. Such statistics help the Query Optimizer of SQL Server's Database Engine to translate the 'logical' SQL Query into the best strategy for doing all the physical operations of joining, sorting, and selecting the data. Most of the time, this work happens effectively, but occasionally, if the statistics no longer reflect what is actually in the table, then queries can suddenly run grindingly slow. At this point, the DBA must intervene to correct the problem.

Inside the SQL Server Query Optimizer

Benjamin Nevarez — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT

This book will take you from the fundamentals of Statistics, Cost Estimation, Index Selection, and the Execution Engine, and guide you through the inner workings of the Query Optimization process, and throws in a pragmatic look at Parameterization and Hints along the way.

The Red Gate Guide to SQL Server Team-based Development

Red Gate Books — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT

This book shows how to use a mixture of home-grown scripts, native SQL Server tools, and tools from the Red Gate SQL Toolbelt, to successfully develop database applications in a team environment, and make database development as similar as possible to "normal" development.

Performance Tuning with SQL Server Dynamic Management Views

Louis Davidson and Tim Ford — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 00:00:00 GMT

This is the book that will de-mystify the process of using Dynamic Management Views to collect the information you need to troubleshoot SQL Server problems. It will highlight the core techniques and "patterns" that you need to master, and will provide a core set of scripts that you can use and adapt for your own requirements.

Defensive Database Programming

Alex Kuznetsov — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Inside this book, you will find dozens of practical, defensive programming techniques that will improve the quality of your T-SQL code and increase its resilience and robustness.

Don't Just Roll the Dice - eBook Download

Neil Davidson — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Neil Davidson has created a short handbook with the theory, practical advice and case studies, to enable you to successfully price your software.

Don't Just Roll The Dice

Neil Davidson — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Neil Davidson has created a short handbook with the theory, practical advice and case studies, to enable you to successfully price your software.

Brad's Sure Guide to SQL Server Maintenance Plans

Brad McGehee — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Brad's Sure Guide to Maintenance Plans shows you how to use the Maintenance Plan Wizard and Designer to configure and schedule eleven core database maintenance tasks, ranging from integrity checks, to database backups, to index reorganizations and rebuilds.

Protecting SQL Server Data

John Magnabosco — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

John Magnabosco's excllent new book, "Protecting SQL Server Data", holds the key to encryption without fear. In it, John Magnabosco sweeps away some of the misconceptions surrounding SQL Server's encryption technologies, and demonstrates that, when properly planned and implemented, they are an essential tool in the DBA's fight to safeguard sensitive data.

How to Become an Exceptional DBA, 2nd Edition

Brad McGehee — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

A 2nd edition of Brad McGehee’s popular "career guide" for DBAs, designed to help new and prospective DBAs find their feet in the profession, and to advise those more-experienced on how they can excel at their jobs, and so become Exceptional DBAs...

SQL Server Tacklebox

Rodney Landrum — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Inside the SQL Server Tacklebox you'll find day-to-day tools, scripts and techniques to automate and standardize SQL Server installation, document and report on your servers, migrate data and manage data growth, troubleshoot performance issues, receive notifications of impending issues, secure access to your servers and fight off the data corruption monster

Confessions of an IT Manager, 2nd Edition

Phil Factor — Mon, 11 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The software industry is, just occasionally, more absurd than one would dare to imagine. Having spent most of his working life in its clutches, Phil Factor has pretty much "seen it all" and what's more he's prepared to tell what he knows. The second edition of Phil's "Confessions of an IT Manager" contains Phil's full repertoire of tales of institutional mayhem and software projects gone awry.

The Art of XSD

Jacob Sebastian — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

When information is exchanged in XML format, you need an agreement between the sender and receiver about the structure and content of the XML document. This "agreement" takes the form of an XSD (XML Schema Definition Language) Schema. Jacob Sebastian's book explains all...

Mastering SQL Server Profiler

Brad McGehee — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Brad McGehee's "from the ground up" guide to SQL Server's most powerful performance diagnostic tool...