Author: Stephen Wynkoop

Editorials

Cloud Challenges: Updating Environments

Something that is becoming a significant effort in working with SQL Server and other systems in the cloud (whether it be on AWS or Azure or other services) is the fact that updates are happening nearly constantly. There have been other columns about that here on SSWUG, but it’s important to take a few minutes and think through your implementations. […]

Editorials PowerBI SharePoint / BI SSRS

How People Use Data, Is Changing Fundamental Tools

There is a great post by Haroon Choudry on LinkedIn, talking about whether SSRS’s days are numbered. In particular, is the use of PowerBI overshadowing the need for SSRS – and where do the respective data tools live, and where are they headed? These are clearly very different tools, and clearly very different applications. Or are they? It’s interesting that […]

Administration Editorials

With Privacy Laws Come New and Different Storage Requirements

It’s a pretty commonplace thing now to be meeting with a client and talking through their requirements, the tossing in the “what about data privacy and ownership – what are your requirements there,” question. It’s not a small thing, and it’s something that has been morphing over time. I think the morphing part comes from uncertainty and fear. Uncertainty because […]

Amazon AWS Amazon RDS Azure Azure SQL Database Editorials

Cloud Services… and the bill for them. DBA Opportunity?

So much has been written about DBAs, the cloud and the impact cloud-based resources and services have on the role of the DBA. There’s no doubt the impact has been substantial. In many cases, however, it’s been a good thing. The mundane “noise” of managing databases has become a game of options. You have the option to have a fully-managed […]

Administration Editorials Ethics

The Great Hack, The Creepy Line, and Our Job

These are some really intriguing movies (Netflix, etc.) – they’re finally talking about data, data use, data ownership, privacy, customization (sort of) and all sorts of things that have significant implications on our career ethics and responsibilities. When you watch these, they can quickly lead to a rabbit hole of TED talks, blog posts and more. Probably result in some […]

Editorials SQL Server

A New Variable in the RFQ Process – (Recognizable) Brand Names

Some interesting things happening in the process of RFQs and software platform analysis prior to purchase.  More and more we’ve been seeing people inquiring about infrastructure.   It’s not like they didn’t care before, certainly they did.  But now, it’s about two different “levels” of infrastructure.  The first is functionality.  We’ll see a lot of questions about how things are set […]