James works at Microsoft as a big data and data warehousing solution architect where he has been for most of the last eleven years. Before that he was an independent consultant working as a Data Warehouse/Business Intelligence architect and developer. He is a prior SQL Server MVP with over 40 years of IT experience. Check out his book Deciphering Data Architectures: Choosing Between a Modern Data Warehouse, Data Fabric, Data Lakehouse, and Data Mesh.
If you are new to Business Intelligence (BI) and learn best by watching videos and “playing”, then this course is perfect for you. The SQL Server 2008 R2 Business Intelligence Training Course (SQLInsights) will help you build your first Microsoft Business … Continue reading →
Another whitepaper to add to your “to read” list: SQL Server 2008 R2 Analysis Services Operations Guide This white paper describes how you can test, monitor, capacity plan, and troubleshoot Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services OLAP solutions in SQL Server 2005, … Continue reading →
Power View (code name “Project Crescent”) is a new interactive data exploration and visual presentation experience coming in the next version of SQL Server 2012, code-named “Denali”. It will offer a fun, visual, and powerful drag-and-drop ad hoc reporting experience. It is an web-based end-user … Continue reading →
SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT), codename “Juneau”, is the name for the new SQL Server Development Tool to be released along with the next version of SQL Server 2012, codenamed “Denali“. Its purpose is to provide a single development environment for … Continue reading →
OK, since this conference in is England, it’s a little harder to get to compared to TechEd. No matter, all the videos for this conference are online (65 of them). Take a look at the recorded sessions at http://sqlbits.com/content/Event8. All … Continue reading →
I have always wondered if queries against a SSAS cube while it is processing would be forced to wait the entire time the cube is processing, or just for a few minutes? Or would the query bomb out? Surprisingly, I … Continue reading →
At the recent TechEd North America 2011 conference, details on the next version of SQL Server 2012 (codename “Denali”) were released. Part of those details were an update on the SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS) roadmap. The main new feature in … Continue reading →
SQLdiag is a diagnostics collection utility to collect logs and data files from SQL Server that you can use to monitor your servers over time or troubleshoot specific problems with your servers. SQLdiag can collect data from: Windows performance logs, Windows event … Continue reading →
SQL Server 2012 (codename “Denali”) is the name for the next version of SQL Server. The CTP1 of Denali was released on Nov 8, 2010, and you can download it here. The next CTP will be available this summer, and you can signup to be … Continue reading →
There are three tools I use every day without exception. They all save me valuable time in surfing the net: Delicious – This is a free bookmarking tool that works so much better than the built-in bookmarking in IE. You … Continue reading →
While nothing beats going to a conference, the next best thing is to watch the recorded sessions. Fortunately, Microsoft has posted ALL the session videos for Tech·Ed North America 2011 and they are available for free! Here is the list … Continue reading →
A nice new little add-in available for SSMS on Codeplex. It helps with repetitive tasks involved with SSAS such as processing and deployment. As the site says, the goal for the Analysis Services Helper is to fill in gaps in the toolset inside … Continue reading →
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego have published a list of job-market hotspots, and in the top ten is Data Mining and Analytics. The study is based on enrollment figures, national employment statistics and interviews with San Diego business … Continue reading →
Microsoft has just released a new SSIS transform, called the SSIS Balanced Data Distributor (BDD). You can download it here. UPDATE: The BDD has been released for SQL Server 2012 (download). See Balanced Data Distributor (BDD) for SQL Server 2012 … Continue reading →
Check out What’s New in PerformancePoint Services and SP1? to see a list of the major features and updates included in SP1 for PPS. Note that SP1 is an Office 2010 service pack, and it’s due at the end of this month. … Continue reading →
A Fuzzy Lookup Task in SSIS that I was working on was bombing out, and I had a heck of a time figuring out why. The error did not tell me much: Error: 2011-05-18 10:42:09.33 Code: 0xC0047022 Source: Fuzzy Match … Continue reading →
Ever get a timeout error when using the “View History” for a SQL Server Agent job? I find this happens when you have a lot of rows of job history and/or the SQL Server box is getting hit hard. So, … Continue reading →
BIDS helper is Visual Studio add-in with features that extend and enhance the functionality of the SQL Server 2005 and SQL Server 2008 BI Development Studio. Version 1.5 can be downloaded here, and read up on the new features. It’s a must-have … Continue reading →
Virtualization is becoming a hot topic lately, and there is no doubt it provides a ton of benefits. But you don’t have to be a system admin that is virtualizing servers to take advantage of it. If you deal with computers every day … Continue reading →
Interesting video on eWeek.com called Business Intelligence Takes Higher Education Students to the Head of the Class that talks about how colleges are noticing that there is a high demand for employees with business intelligence and analytics expertise, and are now … Continue reading →