Again, I wanted to blog about something that still does not change between 2005 and 2008. At a recent conference, there were some great questions/ideas that should make it to Connect if they haven't already. When DB Snapshots were first introduced, one of the questions that I always heard was ''Can I perform a Backup on the ...

After spending the past couple of weeks at the MVP Summit in Seattle and at SQL Connections in Orlando, I thought I should blog about things that do not change in 2008 (at least partially). One of the reason s to partition your tables is to make it more managable.  Although there has been some enhancements in the manner that partitions are ...

In SQL Server 2008, you can have what is called a ''Filtered Index''.  What does this mean?  An index may be created for a subset of rows in your table.  For instance you could create a filtered index for a ''state'' column if the value is ''CA'' for California; the rest of the states would not have a value.  When you create ...

It's Official, today! We have a party for SQL Server 2008 in LA!  The product may not be shipping, but that won't stop us from having our party. Seriously, Today marks the beginning of a more useful Launch than the 2005 launch.  What am I saying?  The Launch Events will probably be more educational for you this time around because ...

In the latest PASS Community Connector, there is a call for Speakers for this year's summit in Seattle in November.  If you have never been to Seattle in November, it really makes you want to learn more about SQL Server in the breakout sessions. ;-)   But seriously, it is a great venue to meet other SQL Server professionals and ...

3 weeks from today, the launch party for SQl Serve 2008 will be on!  If you are in Southern California, you will be in the ''happening'' spot.  Enjoy! Why have a launch without the release of the product?  SQL Server 2008 is more of an incremental release.  There are some great new features in the product, but the bulk of the ...

On Jan. 24, there is a FREE virtual conference focused on SQL Server 2008.  This is not just a webcast that you can view online.  The sessions are scheduled at specific times with Live Q&A following the session from the speakers.  Grab one of your SQL buddies and sign-up to attend virtually on Jan. 24! Register Here: ...

  In case you have not heard yet.......   SQL Server 2008 CTP5 Beta Now Available for Free in a Secure Hosted Environment! PASS, MaximumASP, Dell and Intel have partnered to offer this advance preview... Try out real-world data online in a secure, hosted environment - you don't have to download or install a thing - and your feedback ...

The old Hardware Compatibility List which was renamed the ''Windows Catalog'' is no more.  When creating a Clustered Solution, you need to have a system that is Certified for clustering or there will be no official support.  This has been a point of pain in the past as organizations purchased a clustered solution and then one of the ...

When you start to look at SQL Server 2008, there is a sub-theme of using compression to help drive performance and usefulness.  When I hear the word compression, my first thought is ''No - I remember Stacker''.  How many years ago was that obscure reference?  Too many...  Stacker was a third party product for MS-DOS which ...