IT Expert Voice

The Apache Software Foundation, best known for the self-named popular open source  Web server, has a variety of other technology that can help enterprises with databases, search, development, and more. Here’s an overview of the best. READ MORE

The lesson in the frustrating Pull Me-Push You approach of multiple teams working on SQL Server virtualization is that old mindsets and turf protections can kill any project. Beyond that key realization lays a number of real technical issues to solve. Here’s what to look out for and what to ignore.

Cloud buzz aside, virtualization chatter still dominates in IT circles. The primary discussion is two-toned: “Why should we bother?” and “How would we do it?” Among the first of the follow-up questions is “How well will our Microsoft SQL Server databases work with virtualization?” It’s a legitimate, straightforward question that, unfortunately, is often met with an onslaught of contradictory answers.

Varying technical opinions are common among database administrators (DBAs) and software developers. However, in this case the variation in responses is usually determined by the answerers’ perspectives rather than by actual database server performance metrics.

Take DBAs, for example. “DBAs don’t want to change their server environments,” says Brent Ozar, a Microsoft SQL Server expert with Quest Software, and a Microsoft Certified Master for SQL Server 2008. “They’re probably unhappy with their server performance today on physical hardware, and in their minds, things can only get worse.” READ MORE

Windows 7 supports SQL Server in multiple versions and edition combinations. In this article, I explain which editions and versions of both Windows and SQL Server work with each other. I also explain the uses for each SQL Server edition, a few installation and configuration tips, and how to leverage new features in Windows 7 for SQL Server.
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