Blogs

New Tricks I Learned from the Azure Data Studio Code Editor Tutorial

Today I walked through the Use Azure Data Studio to connect and query Azure SQL database Quickstart. This Quickstart is solid and is great for someone new to Azure Data Studio.

At the end of the Quickstart it suggested I try the Tutorial: Use the Transact-SQL editor to create database objects - Azure Data Studio. The tutorial taught me a couple of things that I’ve not noticed about Azure Data Studio, even though I’ve used it for a couple of years.

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Trying Out the Azure SQL Database Quickstart

I’m working through a series of tutorials and learning paths for Azure SQL and sharing bite-sized reviews.

In this first walkthrough, I’m stepping through the Create a Single Database tutorial.

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Tutorial: Create a Disposable SQL Server Database Container in an Azure DevOps Pipeline With Spawn

This post is part of TSQLTuesday #140, “What have you been up to with containers?”

Disposable databases are indispensable for software developers, both for initial development work and in automation pipelines. Containers pair exceptionally well with temporary databases and provide a lightweight mechanism to spin up an environment on demand.

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The HBO Max Integration Test Email Means You Should Make Automation Safer: For Everyone

When I woke up today in the UK, Twitter was alive with jokes, hot takes, and sympathy about an email sent out to millions of folks on a contact list for HBO Max featuring the subject line, “Integration Test Email #1”.

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Managing Drift in Automated Deployments to SQL Server Databases

One big gotcha that teams often encounter when automating deployments for databases is that it’s difficult (or sometimes impossible) to ensure that all changes to the production database are performed through the automation pipeline.

These out-of-band changes case the production database to “drift” away from the schema as defined in version control.

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Why NoSQL Database Adoption Is Not a One Way Journey

A coworker shared with me recently that a customer is wholly investing in adopting non-relational datastores.

“Is NoSQL taking over?” they asked.

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My Sketchnotes from Redgate Level Up Week 2021

Redgate regularly holds an internal conference called Level Up week. In 2020 and 2021, this conference has been scaled to include multiple Redgate offices using a remote learning approach.

While this is an internal conference, I can share my drawings and notes from sessions I attended. I hope these inspire you with ideas on how you can contribute to learning in your own organization, or perhaps simply inspire you to give sketchnoting a try.

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