Voice of the DBA

Category: Blog

  • Testing T-SQL Made Easy

    Abstract:

    Everyone tests that code, but most people run a query, execute a procedure and run another query. This ad hoc, non-repeatable testing isn’t reliable, and encourages regression bugs. In this session you will learn how to begin introducing testing into your development process using the proven tSQLt framework. You’ll run tests with a click of a button, using an ever growing test suite that improves code quality. You will see how to handle test data, exceptions, and edge cases.

    Level: 200 (I am assuming you know something about unit testing and tSQLt)

    Demos:

    • Creating exceptions to standards
    • Catching changes to large tables
    • Ensuring the join works correctly
    • Testing Getdate()
    • Isolating functions and stored procedures from other calls
    • Checking boundary conditions

    Downloads:

    Powerpoint: Testing T-SQL Made Easy.pptx

    Code: .zip file or Github repo

    Presentations

    • SQL Bits XV – May 7, 2016

  • Back Home, Despite a Scare

    I’ve spent the last 11 days traveling in Europe, returning home late yesterday. It wasn’t a holiday or even corporate boondoggle as this was 3 cities, 2 events at which I spoke, travel in planes, trains, and automobiles, a minor sinus infection, and movement across 6 hotels. All with just this luggage:

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    Packed too full, and heavy, but I made it.

    I returned late afternoon and in between spending time with family, I booted up my desktop and was surprised to find that Dropbox gave me an error. As I dug in, one of my SSDs wasn’t visible in Windows, containing VMs, my local DropBox folders and a few other things. Not what I wanted to deal with the first night back.

    I shut down the system and rechecked connections this morning, then rebooted to find things working, but it was a good reminder to double check my backups and ensure that I’ve got copies of data in case I do lose an SSD.

  • Pensacola in June–SQL Saturday #491

    One June 5, I’ll be back in Pensacola, FL for SQL Saturday #491. It’s been a few years since there was a conference in the area, and I’m excited to go back. I really like the area, and am looking forward to visiting for a few days.

    I’ll be presenting my dive into Always Encrypted in SQL Server 2016. I presented this in Phoenix recently and the session was well received. I like this feature, but there are some caveats and gotchas, as well as various items you should consider before making the decision to implement it. Hopefully I’ll see a few of you there and you’ll enjoy the talk.

    However if you’re nearby, there are pre-conference sessions on both Thursday and Friday that you can attend. Both are inexpensive training and the chance for you to quickly improve some data skills.

    There are lots of great sessions from other speakers, and Pensacola is a great place to spend a weekend. Lovely beaches, not too large, not too expensive, and a beautiful area in June. If you’re anywhere from Houston to Florida to Tennessee, consider combining a little learning with a vacation on the gulf coast.

  • Another Day, Another City

    After a few days in Copenhagen for SQL Nexus, I traveled to London late last night, and am now making my way to Liverpool for SQL Bits. A hectic schedule, leaving one city, flying to another, a few hours sleep and moving again today.

    It’s exciting to be heading back to SQL Bits again, as it’s my favorite conference, and I am looking forward to seeing people from all over the world that I’ve become friends with across the years. Plus it will be fun to see all the costumes at Friday night’s space themed party.

    I’ve got two sessions to deliver. A lunchtime session on version control Friday and then a testing talk Saturday.

    Between now and then, some final rehearsals, and hopefully an hour or two at the Beatles museum.