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Weigh the pros and cons of technologies, products and projects you are considering.

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Limited public preview opens for Azure SQL Data Warehouse

Microsoft opened the preview of Azure SQL Data Warehouse, a petabyte-scale, distributed columnar data warehouse service with massively parallel processing. Continue Reading
SQL Server 2016 preview shows off new features, improvements

Experts discuss the public preview of SQL Server 2016 and the best new features as early adopters ready themselves to put SQL Server 2016 into production. Continue Reading
How to improve OLTP with SQL Server 2014 In-Memory

Basit Farooq explains how to improve the performance of OLTP applications using SQL Server 2014 In-Memory. He details what makes SQL Server 2014 In-Memory different from other in-memory database engines and how to use that to your advantage. Continue Reading
Digging deeper with T-SQL system functions and language tools

Learn how system functions can be used in T-SQL to view general session and system information along with other types of data in Microsoft SQL Server. Continue Reading
Top 10 SQL Server development tips of 2008

Here are the top 10 most viewed SQL Server development tips of 2008. From converting date/time values into character types, working with DATETIME and SMALLDATETIME in SQL Server 2005, using a stored procedure to find the size of SQL Server tables ... Continue Reading
Five sqlcmd features to automate SQL Server database tasks

Make your life easier with the sqlcmd tool in SQL Server 2005 that automates administration and maintenance via scripting. In this tip, you'll get five useful features and examples to execute sqlcmd commands, such as for utilizing and populating ...Continue Reading
Sample T-SQL stored procedure: P_DisplayProductDetails

This sample T-SQL stored procedure to be debugged displays product details from the AdventureWorks database using a function to rank the unit price for each product subcategory.Continue Reading
Find the product of a field in Microsoft SQL Server

This function will produce the product of a field or set of values in SQL Server 2000.Continue Reading

How to evaluate and select the right BI analytics tool

Expert Rick Sherman has advice for organizations trying to settle on BI analytics tools: Figure out which features are must-haves...

Nate Silver lays out data-driven business strategy

A lack of standards and best practices can hold back businesses from becoming more data-driven, says Nate Silver, founder and ...

HP Vertica users put limits on using Hadoop for analytics

Hadoop is one of the most popular big data technologies. But when it comes to predictive modeling and data visualization, its ...

SearchDataCenter

ITSM tools no silver bullet for data center service delivery

ITSM tools can simplify and streamline the service delivery process, but don't forget the critical steps that also must be taken ...

Shape mobility plans with the COBIT 5 framework

The COBIT 5 framework helps IT organizations bring online new enterprise platforms like mobility without compromising data ...

Network bottleneck looms when data center storage improves

The high-IOPS, low-latency potential of SSDs moves bottlenecks to the network. SDN offers provisioning adjustments to avoid any ...

SearchDataManagement

Evaluating SQL-on-Hadoop tools? Start with the use case

In a Q&A;, Clarity Solution Group CTO Tripp Smith says to base SQL-on-Hadoop software decisions on actual workloads. Some Hadoop ...

IBM pushes MPP engine to boost cloud database services line

IBM has added massively parallel processing and R language support to its dashDB software -- important steps for a data warehouse...

Swim fast with a Hadoop data lake architecture -- or sink

The Hadoop data lake concept presents plenty of challenges for organizations. But the experiences of early adopters point the way...

SearchAWS

Azure or AWS? A cloud database comparison

AWS offers a multitude of database services, but Microsoft Azure has several options worth considering for a savvy multi-cloud ...

Meet the family of AWS EC2 instance types

AWS EC2 instance types offer an array of options for compute power. Get to know the nine types of Elastic Compute Cloud instances...

Making sense of AWS containers, EC2 Container Service

Some enterprises are diving head first into cloud containers, but the technology -- an old form of virtualization brought back ...

SearchOracle

SolarWinds Database Performance Analyzer gets MySQL support

The latest version of SolarWinds Database Performance Analyzer works with MySQL, giving users of both Oracle and MySQL a common ...

How to make sense of Oracle licenses for VMware environments

Oracle licenses are a tricky subject and Oracle licensing for VMware environments doubly so. Find out about the important ...

Oracle announces its new, lower-cost SPARC processor

At Hot Chips 27, Oracle presented its new, lower-cost SPARC processor, Sonoma, which puts Oracle into competition with Intel x86 ...

SearchContentManagement

Location data adds context for Web personalization

Location technologies can provide another layer of context for serving up Web personalization, but it may require updating ...

Experts highlight potholes in the Office 365 roadmap

Office 365 provides new options for lightweight collaboration, but experts at SPTechCon Boston said some features aren't ready ...

SharePoint 2016 beta is solid, but don't expect fireworks

SharePoint 2016 beta makes some solid improvements for the user experience, but feels more like an update than a major new ...

SearchWindowsServer

Use a PowerShell script to force logoff of an RDP session

When end users remain logged in to an RDP session, it consumes valuable resources. Use this PowerShell script to force users to ...

Office, IE bugs get sprayed with Patch Tuesday fixes

The bad news: Microsoft had to issue Patch Tuesday fixes for Office and IE. The good news: no patches for Windows 10 or Adobe ...

With Azure Key Vault, cloud security no longer up in air

Admins with an Azure subscription can use Azure Key Vault to protect and encrypt keys and data. Here's how to set it up with ...