Comments on: Empirical Evidence

By: SQL Server Linked Server Query Slow? | SQL Server Blog - StraightPath Solutions

Thu, 08 Jul 2010 12:15:13 +0000

[...] off with statistics somehow and I had realized that I was incorrect in assuming (I forgot to follow my own advice there) that statistics wouldn’t even come into play since it is a linked server query. Nope.. [...]

By: Why Hire A DBA? | SQL Server Blog - StraightPath Solutions

Why Hire A DBA? | SQL Server Blog - StraightPath Solutions — Mon, 24 May 2010 15:27:03 +0000

[...] for our organization. We aren’t going to accept defaults, we aren’t going to ignore empirical evidence and try the first thing that a search engine shows us in production (hopefully). We may not just [...]

By: Plan To Fail Or Don’t Expect To Succeed | SQL Server Blog - StraightPath Solutions

Tue, 18 May 2010 13:22:45 +0000

[...] before when first starting out in posts talking about using checklists, recipes and algorithms; embracing empirical evidence; or even harnessing paranoia as a DBA but I want to zero in on failure from four angles [...]

By: Mike Walsh

Mike Walsh — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 21:37:01 +0000

Very good idea. I call it a sandbox but the same concept. An environment you can tear down and rebuild often and easily. Test to your hearts content and learn. Great point and thanks

By: GSquared

GSquared — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 16:26:54 +0000

One thing I maintain as a practice is a "ProofOfConcept" database, on a dev box that I can rebuild if I need to. I test stuff in there. Build solutions for online questions, etc., but also test things to make sure I understand them myself. It’s a practice I highly recommend.

By: Mike Walsh

Mike Walsh — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 18:55:44 +0000

Indeed, Brent -

I was actually suggesting tries in development with testing. I realize now that I missed pointing out that important caveat. I don't like anything tried in production unless there is no other alternative. To which I add another caveat: the cases where there should be no other alternative should be rare. So rare that you can remember each instance of having to do it and procedures and environments were changed as a result.

By: Brent Ozar

Brent Ozar — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 12:05:41 +0000

I would add to this, "just try it in development." Make sure to have a development environment – doesn’t need to accurately reproduce production, but you need to have the same schema and same quantity of data. Don’t go willy-nilly trying things in production.