Gavin Payne

Architects and Architectures

GavinPayneUK — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 18:55:45 GMT

In the last few months I’ve been presenting a new session at community events that’s had a positive reception that I’m pleasantly surprised at. It’s had several titles, but currently its “How to be a more successful architect” and I originally created...(read more)

Virtualisation limitations still exist, even in 2013

GavinPayneUK — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 23:43:46 GMT

While advances in technology are seemingly continuous, and the limitations of yesterday’s systems are now the minimum requirements of tomorrow’s, care should still be taken to make sure every capability scales as much as you need it to. Virtualisation...(read more)

Columnstore Indexes Overview

GavinPayneUK — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 10:10:48 GMT

In December 2012, I presented about “Accelerating the Data Warehouse Using xVelocity Columnstore Indexes” at a SQLSanta event in London. My presentation’s purpose, and demos, were to show how this type of database engine index, that’s new in SQL Server...(read more)

What’s coming up

GavinPayneUK — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 22:47:00 GMT

In the last couple of months my community activities list has had things leave it and new things join it, so I thought share my future plans, and promote some of the events I’m supporting. Microsoft Certified Architect : SQL Server – Giving back Preparing...(read more)

Coeo sessions at SQLSaturday Cambridge

GavinPayneUK — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 11:52:03 GMT

This weekend saw the UK’s first SQLSaturday organised by Mark Broadbent, and held in Cambridge, that was without doubt a huge success. Coeo were lucky to have four of us present a staggering five sessions on the day; so thank you to the SQLSaturday team...(read more)

This is Columnstore – Part 1

GavinPayneUK — Sun, 22 Jul 2012 23:23:45 GMT

This weekend I finally spent some time getting up to speed on the new xVelocity Columnstore index feature in SQL Server 2012 Enterprise Edition. This is part one of three blog articles about my initial experiences of them, but more interestingly, a quick...(read more)

Efficient, partial, point-in-time database restores

GavinPayneUK — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 17:52:42 GMT

This article is about a situation that many of us could describe the theoretical approach to solving, but then struggle to understand why SQL Server wasn’t following that theoretical approach when you tried it for real. Earlier this week, I had a client...(read more)

Read Committed Snapshot Isolation– Two Considerations

GavinPayneUK — Fri, 11 May 2012 20:27:20 GMT

The Read Committed Snapshot database option in SQL Server, known perhaps more accurately as Read Committed Snapshot Isolation or RCSI, can be enabled to help readers from blocking writers and writers from blocking readers. However, enabling...(read more)

Knowing when you’re ready to attempt to become an MCM of SQL Server

GavinPayneUK — Tue, 01 May 2012 09:09:23 GMT

Since I became a “Microsoft Certified Master of SQL Server” I’ve had lots of people asking me how I prepared, how I knew I was ready to take the exams and what they were like. At the SQLBits certification session recently I was invited on to the panel...(read more)

What to do when the solution will never be in front of you

GavinPayneUK — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 21:46:05 GMT

Sometimes you have a requirement which you don’t have a tool in your toolbox for. When that happens the solution may not be to just get another tool and add it to your existing toolbox, it might be you have to use an entirely new type of toolbox...(read more)