SQL Server has been around over 30 years, and I’ve been working with SQL Server for almost as long. I’ve seen a lot of changes over the years (and decades!) and versions of this incredible product.  In these posts, I’ll share with you how I look at some of the features or aspects of SQL Server, sometimes along with a bit of historical perspective.

SQL Server has been around over 30 years, and I’ve been working with SQL Server for almost as long.

Does your boss get nervous about paying overtime, yet you’re expected to monitor your servers 24/7? Problems don’t usually happen during business hours so working some nights and weekends to maintain the integrity of your database has become the norm. And summer will be over before you know it! You need some sun!

DBAs are a lot of like firefighters. You’re running around like crazy, extinguishing the latest disaster to strike your company’s SQL Server database. And with so much going on, it’s hard to even look at the forensics of why it caught fire in the first place.

Many DBAs today are being asked to contribute in a DevOps Culture. One DBA I know told me the story of a recent reorg his company went through and when they sent out the new org chart, his title was actually changed from DBA to DevOps engineer. What does he do now that’s different from before? Well it turns out… Not much. Most of what he now does is still the same.  But his cubicle is ground zero for DevOps now, so he’s taking this new title pretty seriously.

Like most DBAs, you are likely running in many directions trying to manage database or capacity issues while keeping end users and customers happy by ensuring access to the systems and data that they need.