Several years ago, I worked for a company where I felt my potential wasn’t being tapped into. I didn’t feel challenged and quite frankly, I felt underemployed. My husband had mentioned to me that he knew about a company, by the name of Pragmatic Works...

The SQL Server 2012 Virtual Launch Event kicks off on March 7, 2012 starting at 8:00AM Pacific (-8:00 GMT) with keynotes from Microsoft Executives including: Ted Kummert, Corporate Vice President, Business Platform Division and Quentin Clark, Corporate...

You are a SQL Server DBA, and I know what you are going through. You are frustrated at having to correct other people's work. You are tired from being woken at odd hours, or needed to work on weekends. And the better you get at your job, the more likely...

SQL Server Migration Assistant (SSMA) v5.2 is now available. SSMA simplifies database migration process from Oracle/Sybase/MySQL and Microsoft Access to SQL Server and SQL Azure. SSMA automates all aspects of migration including migration assessment analysis...

On March 7, 2012 we are hosting the SQL Server 2012 Virtual Launch Event (VLE), to share the latest on SQL Server 2012 and the evolution of the Microsoft data platform. Through our VLE, anyone, anywhere in the world can simply log in and be a part of...

We talk a lot about the features and technical “how to” behind SQL Server, but our favorite topic is showing real-world examples of how it helps our customers achieve their goals and save millions of dollars. One great example of this is The Co-operative...

In my last post in November on Mission Critical customer implementations of SQL Server, I mentioned that we would include some details on customers already using SQL Server 2012.  Over the last few weeks, we have released some of these first stories...

One of our lab project teams was pretty busy while the rest of us were taking a break between Christmas and New Year’s here in Redmond. On January 3 rd , their new lab went live: Microsoft Codename "SQL Azure Compatibility Assessment" . This...

For the past couple of weeks we’ve been asking you to submit stories about how the #SQLFamily gives back to you. In exchange for each submission we’ve received, we’ll be donating $50 to the Pragmatic Works Foundation to provide SQL training to veterans...

There are only a two days left until the New Year, which means your last chance to submit a #SQLFamily story and contribute to the Pragmatic Works Foundation drive is fast approaching. All submissions are due by December 31 st , 2011 at 11:59pm PST, and...

The holidays are here and the “#SQLFamily Gives Back” Campaign is continuing to pick up steam. The SQL Server community has raised $1,300, which will allow for 26 people to receive SQL training! Thank you to everyone who submitted this week! There is...

A few months back we announced SQL Server 2012 availability on Amazon’s Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2). Since that time we are seeing more momentum worldwide as other service provider partners are going live with SQL Server 2012 for their customers in their...

Wow #SQLFamily …just wow. The SQL Server Team has been overwhelmed by the amazing outpouring of support from the #SQLFamily. In just a few days, the community is off to a great start in sending us submissions that have raised money for the Pragmatic Works...

In October at the PASS Summit 2011, Microsoft announced expanded investments in “Big Data”, including a new Apache Hadoop™ based distribution for Windows Server and service for Windows Azure. In doing so, we extended Microsoft’s leadership in BI and Data...

Back in November, the SQL Server team witnessed an outpouring of support for the #SQLFamily meme started by Thomas LaRock (aka @SQLRockstar ) and Karen Lopez ( @datachick ). For an installment of SQL Rockstar’s “Meme Monday,” they asked the SQL community...

We are pleased to announce the release of the Microsoft Codename “Data Transfer” Lab . Microsoft Codename "Data Transfer" is an easy-to-use Web application to import your data into SQL Azure or Blob storage. Whether you’re: Preparing data for...

What’s inside the new HP Enterprise Database Consolidation Appliance? On Sept 13 th , we launched the new HP Database Consolidation Appliance which supports deploying 1000’s of workloads in a private cloud infrastructure. The solution is specifically...

We are pleased to announce that SQL Server 2012 Express LocalDB Release Candidate 0 is now available for download. Try it here today! LocalDB is a new version of Express created specifically for developers. It is very easy to install and requires no management...

In our continued commitment to interoperability, we are very excited to announce the availability of a preview release of the SQL Server ODBC Driver for Linux! This release will allow native developers to access Microsoft SQL Server from Linux operating...

A few weeks ago we released a new “lab” on a site which some of you may be aware of called SQL Azure | Labs . We created this site as an outlet for projects incubated out of teams who are passionate about an idea. The labs allow you to experiment...

Building on our announcement at the PASS Summit 2011 in early October, today we are excited to announce the SQL Server 2012 Release Candidate (RC). SQL Server 2012 RC is the first release which is feature complete and represents an exciting milestone...

CALLING ALL SQL SERVER PROFESSIONALS Do you want Microsoft to come to your city? This March, Microsoft is teaming with PASS to bring you the SQL Server 2012 Special Ops Tour, a cross-country, technical training roadshow that will take us to 12 cities...

We are pleased to announce two new training opportunities being launched by Microsoft Learning to help prepare candidates for the Certified Master exams or for anyone looking to take their SQL Server skills to the next level. Coming November 29: Accelerated...

In choosing a platform for running Mission Critical applications, IT Managers, Architects and CIOs need to ensure that the platform is trustworthy and can provide the reliability, availability, security, and performance needed to meet the service level...

Guest Blogger: Aaron Bertrand Aaron is a senior consultant for SQL Sentry , providers of the free Plan Explorer, as well as performance monitoring and event management software for SQL Server. He has been blogging at sqlblog.com since 2006, focusing on...