Welcome to this new series -- in this column, I hope to impart some quick, short tips that will help you make quick work of managing and administering your SQL Server databases. First up is an ...

Microsoft SQL Server 2000 comes with its own backup and recovery utilities. Though they work, there are a number of annoying limitations. For instance, you can't back up directly to a UNC path, and ...

OK, I’ll admit it. I’m not a DBA, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t overseen databases and their performance. I was (and probably still am) the guy who installed a Microsoft SQL database by hitting Next ...

When it comes to improving the performance of database systems, there are nearly as many approaches as there are DBA (database administrator) teams. That might sound acceptable at first glance. But, ...

A free tool from Microsoft can make backing up data in Windows Server 2008 R2 efficient and almost hassle-free. Here's how to use it effectively. Back in the day, Microsoft's free backup tool was the ...

Despite its steep licensing costs, SQL Server continues to prove its worth over open-source alternatives in some key areas. SQL Server is an expensive part of your IT stack -- SQL Server Enterprise ...