Reporting Strategy: Match the Report Type to the Right Technology
By Paul Baratelli A request comes in from the business. They need a report. Most people jump straight into development. After all, it’s just a report, right? You spend as much time as the angry mob of upper management will allow, taking short-cuts, going back and forth to get requirements, and jumping through hoops and…
Round and Round, Here we go, where it stops, nobody knows!
Report Requirements Gathering Requirements gathering is one of the most important steps in the reporting process, even if it feels like the least exciting one. Taking the time to clearly define what is needed before development starts can save everyone from the familiar cycle of endless email chains, confused meetings, and “that’s not what I…
Standardizing Idempotent Database Deployment Scripts
I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve had to run a developer’s script during a deploy that only had one chance to succeed. I’m sitting there sweating, hoping it doesn’t blow up the server, knowing full well that if it does, I’m the one who didn’t write the damn thing but still has to…
Mastering Multi-Pivot Queries in MS SQL Server
When dealing with data transformation in SQL Server, especially when you need to convert rows into columns, the PIVOT function shines. However, for more complex scenarios where you need to pivot data across multiple columns or in multiple ways, things can get trickier. In this blog post, we’ll explore how to write a multi-pivot query…
SQL Server Backups with Ola Hallengren’s Maintenance Scripts
In the world of database administration, effective backup strategies are crucial for data integrity and disaster recovery. Ola Hallengren’s SQL Server Maintenance Solution, particularly the backup scripts, has become a cornerstone for many DBAs looking for a reliable, efficient, and customizable approach to SQL Server maintenance. Here’s a comprehensive look at how these scripts can…
UNION AND UNION ALL
The UNION vs UNION ALL in MS SQL Server: A Deep Dive When working with SQL Server, SQL statements like UNION and UNION ALL are essential for combining the result sets of two or more SELECT statements into a single result set. While they might seem similar at first glance, they serve different purposes and…
