Voice of the DBA

Category: Blog

  • MCM Prep – Only ONE Transaction Log File

    Unlike for data files, SQL Server does not use multiple files for the transaction log in any way that improves performance. The writes are not striped across files. Instead SQL Server will write to one file, then the next, then the next, wrapping to the first file when all the VLFs are full, just as it would with one file. In other words, it moves sequentially through the files for new transactions.

    I haven’t found a BOL reference for this, and don’t really feel like continuing the search, but Kim Tripp blogs about it here and it’s mentioned in the log file internals MCM video.

  • MVP 2011

    Microsoft_MVP_logo I was awarded the MVP status from Microsoft for 2011 on Jan 1, 2011. This is my fourth consecutive award and I am honored to be recognized for my efforts in the SQL Server community.
    When I opened the email last Saturday morning, I had mixed feelings. On one hand I think I deserve the award for my efforts in the community in speaking, writing, and promoting SQL Server. I think I do a lot, and while it’s my job, it’s also a bit of a passion for me.
    On the other hand, I always think “what was Microsoft thinking” when I consider the deep technical knowledge that so many of the MVPs display. I know a lot about SQL Server, but it’s in a fairly shallow, general knowledge area, though I do have a lot of experience in the past. I don’t do any earth-shaking work, and I certainly don’t impress many of the experts in various areas of SQL Server work. So in some sense I didn’t really contribute a lot to the growth of the knowledge base of SQL Server in 2010.
    The award, however, is very much a community award, and it is for the contributions in sharing knowledge and helping others work with SQL Server. Without the award, I wouldn’t do anything different. This doesn’t drive me, and if I lose it, it won’t change the way I approach the community.

  • Back to Work

    It’s actually nice to be back to work. It’s been a great holiday season for me, lots of family time and un-wired time, but I’m ready to get back to my routine and learning some SQL. There was a severe lack of studying over the last week, however with relatives in town, that’s the way it goes.

    Time to get back on my MCM prep schedule.

  • Quick MCM Prep Help

    Before I went on vacation, I mentioned I was downloading some of the MCM videos from Technet.I had grabbed 4 or 5 before I left, dropping the MP3s on my iPhone, and I listened to a few of them on the drive to Steamboat Springs.

    That worked out so well, while I was on vacation, I tweeted that I was downloading more MP3s for the ride home, but Aaron Nelson (blog | @sqlvariant) sent me a script he was working on to automatically download them. I finally got around to trying it when I returned to get the video formats of the videos (some are demos) and after a little mucking around with paths, I got it to work.

    It’s a great script that runs from Windows Powershell, and you can get it from Aaron’s blog. Even if you don’t want to take the MCM test, watch the videos. Lots to learn in there.