Y2K did not end in worldwide disaster. Its repairs, failures, and recoveries show why, and what database teams can learn about proving maintenance matters.
Fermat Left a Note in a Margin. Other People Spent 358 Years Finishing It.
That note kept mathematicians busy for the next three and a half centuries. Let us talk about what Fermat left in a margine.
Every Database Has These Seven Tables
Walk into any company, open the production database, and you will find the same seven tables. Nobody planned it, and I have personally created four of them.
NOLOCK Can Miss Rows: The Order That Was Never Missing
Yes, NOLOCK can miss rows. A row can vanish from your report while it sits safely in the table. Nobody deleted it. The read simply walked past it.
Everyone Expected AI to Come From the Big Companies
Everyone expected AI to come from the big companies. The research did come from their labs, but the products did not, and the reason is not talent or budget.
UPDATE Without WHERE Clause: The Day Everyone Got a Raise
An UPDATE without WHERE clause changed 8,432 salaries. When ROLLBACK can help, and how to check the affected row count before COMMIT.
Ten AI Phrases We Use Too Often
In 2013 I wrote a small list of phrases developers used too often. Twelve years later, here are ten AI phrases I hear every week, and what each one means.
NOLOCK: Why It Counts Some Rows Twice and Misses Others
Everybody knows NOLOCK can show uncommitted data. Far fewer know why it counts some rows twice and misses others, with nothing rolled back. Let me show you.
Tech Conferences: Five Questions About the Money
I said tech conferences are worth every hour and the sessions are not. Nobody argued about the sessions. They wrote about money instead, and five questions arrived.
Finding the Root Cause of Slow Queries
Finding the root cause of slow queries starts by separating work from waits, then testing theories against plans and history.