Data Cleanup

Posted on January 3, 2022 by way0utwest

The end of the year is when I do a little data cleanup. Not a lot, but some. Work slows down, with no major deadlines, so I’m able to spend a bit of time organizing myself. I usually go through my downloads and documents folders, deleting files I don’t expect to use. I ensure that my jobs removing older log and temp files are running, especially on the laptops. A lot of disuse in 2021 had a few of them filling disks with more files than I had expected.

In a few positions I’ve had as a DBA, this was a time when we’d look to archive away some older databases, and even some data. It was rare, but always invigorating because we knew queries would run faster in systems when we could archive off data. I haven’t ever started with clean databases in a new year, but in a couple of jobs we’d archive off all data that was more than one or two years old into another database. It was available if someone needed it, but the main OLTP databases would contain only one or two years’ worth of data, helping queries perform quicker at the start of the year.

Last month I was at the SQL Server and Azure SQL Conference, and someone asked about the future plans for archive and migration of SQL Server data. The person noted they wished they could easily archive off data, specifically using a feature like Stretch Database. That feature wasn’t cost-effective, but it might be if you could stretch to another instance rather than Azure. No good answer from Microsoft, but that is something I’d like to see.

Archiving older data, often data that is less queried is a good way to speed up systems. However, doing this seamlessly, and with easy access from applications, is cumbersome. Software should make this easy. I set up a database and then point the archive process to that location. The process manages moving data from a table based on a column value I’ve specified. Ideally, I could also decide if I allow queries to span the two databases automatically or I require some switch to allow querying of the archived data.

There are plenty of possibilities here, but I suspect we won’t see any of them soon. There isn’t a lot of extra money to be made by allowing customers to manage their own archival systems, and these days it seems every software vendor is trying to make money from renting features rather than selling them. Archival isn’t one I see many customers willing to pay a premium for, so I suspect the solution for most of us is to write better and code and ensure queries perform well, even when we have terabytes of data.

Steve Jones

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Daily Coping 3 Jan 2022

Posted on January 3, 2022 by way0utwest

I started to add a daily coping tip to the SQLServerCentral newsletter and to the Community Circle, which is helping me deal with the issues in the world. I’m adding my responses for each day here. All my coping tips are under this tag.

Today’s tip is to make a resolution that you can keep this month.

Update: I wrote this before I went on holiday the last week of the year. However, I managed to tear a calf muscle and haven’t been able to do much. I’m going to need to delay this by a week and aim for Jan 10-Feb 10.

I’m not big on New Year’s resolutions. I think often we pick things are too hard to sustain across a year. I typically set some goals, but don’t look to make major changes.

However, focus is good, especially in this time of not really being in a familiar world. Many things are semi-normal for me, but plenty of things are not.

I’m going to resolve to do two things. First, weekly calls back home to my Mom. I don’t do that enough.

Second, I’m going to resolve to workout every day this month, barring injury. I like working out, and I find it keeps me feeling level headed. I’ve gotten close a few months, but I’m still often missing 7 or 8 days. I want to get back into the habit this month, knowing that I’ll miss some days, but hopefully less in 2022.

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The End of 2021

Posted on December 31, 2021 by way0utwest

Today is the last day of 2021. I’m on vacation, and I expect most of you are as well today. If you’re working, I hope it’s a light day and nothing breaks. At least, I hope it’s better than my first Dec 31 with SQL Server. After a month of exposure to the platform in 1991, I worked on Dec 31 to deploy a new application. I started at 5pm Dec 31, as most people were heading home from work, I was getting started.

I left the office, actually, the power plant, at 9 or 10 am on Jan 2. Needless to say, things didn’t go well. Hopefully, your day of work goes smoother.

Enjoy the end of the year, be safe and careful tonight, and I wish you a Happy New Year.

Steve Jones

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The Snow Tire Search

Posted on December 31, 2021 by way0utwest

This is part of a series that covers my experience with a Tesla Model Y.

I’ve been looking for winter tires for about 6 weeks, checking the local inventory and the online places. It’s been hard to find tires, or at least any that are rated well. I found 3 of a few brands, but no sets of 4. My plan had been to get 4 tires and swap them on the same wheels for 4 winter tires. I’d do the same thing again in the spring and use these tires.

I haven’t been in too much of a hurry, mostly because it’s been 50s and 60s in Denver, and it doesn’t seem like snow is coming. However, we got a surprise sleet storm the other day as I was leaving for the gym. Not too bad, but definitely moisture coming down. I could see a white surface on the paved roads as I drove through the neighborhood.

Turning onto the main road was tricky. No cars coming, which was good, because I need to accelerate from a hill, and the car slipped. Not a lot, but enough that I know these tires aren’t going to be good.

Brands

I’d been looking for a few different brands. The Continental Extreme Contact DWS, the Pirelli WINTER SOTTOZERO 3, and the Michelin X-Ice 3 tires were on my list. A few local people recommended some others as well, but those were the main ones I was searching for from places.

The Tesla uses a strange size, 255-45-R19, which is not good for a time where supply chains are messed up. Even looking at Nokian and Bridgestone, I wasn’t finding much.

After my incident, I searched a bit more and saw that there might be some at Big O Tires, so after the gym I swung by the store.

Big O Tires

They didn’t have them, but the salesguy and I had a good talk. He told me the inventory system online doesn’t always track well with what is in the stores. He also had a Suburban he was restoring and needed tires that were hard to find, and I mentioned I owned one as well. He showed some pictures of his and became a bit more invested. He said they had swapped tires a few times for Tesla owners and always struggled to get tires in, but he’d look around more.

I got a call to come back later and we talked a bit more. He noted that he had found some 245-45-r19 tires, so slightly narrower, but they’d fit on the same wheels. These were the Michelin X-Ice 3 ones, so I just bought them.

I paid for the tires and made an appointment to drop the car off the next day. I got a ride with my son and we left the car there about 945. I went home and then headed back out to a doctor’s appointment. At 11:15, I got a call the car was ready.

They had bagged up the old tires and left them in the back of the Model Y. I’d lowered the seats and 4 tires fit in there fine. Without the wheels, they also weren’t too heavy, and I put them in the shed with the BMW summer tires when I got home.

Performance and Noise

I have no idea about snow performance as its still 50F and dry in Denver. Even the day we went out for a long drive (about 90m) in 10F weather, it was dry.

However, the car seems to drive the same, and my wife didn’t notice any noise difference. I hadn’t told her I had swapped tires, so I was curious if she’d see a difference. We got up to 90mph on the highway at one point and no real noise difference.

We’ll see how they perform in snow, hopefully, but I’m confident as quite a few people run these tires.

Total cost was about $1500 for the tires, mounting, and a warranty. After the issue with the nail, I think $150 for a tire shop warranty makes sense.

Now, hoping we get some snow so I can test the tires.

A video of this post is available.

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