Are the posted questions getting worse?

  • Brandie Tarvin - Wednesday, January 3, 2018 12:42 PM

    I remember the one time it snowed in South Carolina when I lived there. Only about 2 inches. Nobody, and I mean NOBODY, on the road as I drove to work. I had keys to the workplace, so let myself in, turned off the alarm, logged into all the systems and waited. No customers, no co-workers. No one until about 90 minutes later (who came in looking for snow plows of all things). Finally, about 2.5 hours later, the boss comes in and everyone else straggles in AFTER the snow had melted.

    Boss wanted to know what I was doing in so early. Me, I wanted to know what was so bad about 2 inches of snow that no one could make it in on time.

    If it ever snowed in JHB and the snow didn't melt at the first touch of sun, I would not venture out until it had melted.

    Gail Shaw
    Microsoft Certified Master: SQL Server, MVP, M.Sc (Comp Sci)
    SQL In The Wild: Discussions on DB performance with occasional diversions into recoverability

    We walk in the dark places no others will enter
    We stand on the bridge and no one may pass
  • ChrisM@Work - Wednesday, January 3, 2018 10:11 AM

    Just spent a business day prototyping a partition-switch mechanism to improve the performance of a weekly data feed of 50M rows into a 12,000,000,000 row table. It takes ten hours. Most of this time is rebuilding the indexes, which they disable before the load. The process duration of the new mechanism is under ten minutes, two minutes of which is rebuilding the indexes in the switch table.
    "Do you want some help implementing this?" "No thanks. It happens on Saturdays. We'll get around to it."
    The existing process has failed for the last four Saturdays, io timeouts.
    I'll get me coat.

    Chris, that sounds like it could be very interesting.  Are you going to write an article on it?

  • jasona.work - Wednesday, January 3, 2018 12:55 PM

    Jeff Moden - Wednesday, January 3, 2018 12:32 PM

    Heh... I find that some don't even know how to drive on bare asphalt in the summer.

    /Me thinks about driving the Southfield during rush hour, breaks into a cold sweat...

    Yeah, you should.  I drive Telegraph and I'm sure today isn't going to be pleasant.

  • Chris Harshman - Wednesday, January 3, 2018 11:12 AM

    grant@scarydba.com - Wednesday, January 3, 2018 4:52 AM

    Brandie Tarvin - Wednesday, January 3, 2018 3:19 AM

    Does anyone feel sorry for me yet?

    https://weather.com/weather/today/l/USFL0228:1:US

    Bridges are supposed to start freezing sometime soon.

    Nope:
    https://weather.com/weather/today/l/USMA0429:1:US

    hey, high temperature here is going to be single digits next few days, I don't want to hear it  LOL 😛
    https://weather.com/weather/today/l/USOH0195:1:US

    Yeah, we've "warmed up".

    ----------------------------------------------------The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood... Theodore RooseveltThe Scary DBAAuthor of: SQL Server 2017 Query Performance Tuning, 5th Edition and SQL Server Execution Plans, 3rd EditionProduct Evangelist for Red Gate Software

  • Ed Wagner - Wednesday, January 3, 2018 1:18 PM

    ChrisM@Work - Wednesday, January 3, 2018 10:11 AM

    Just spent a business day prototyping a partition-switch mechanism to improve the performance of a weekly data feed of 50M rows into a 12,000,000,000 row table. It takes ten hours. Most of this time is rebuilding the indexes, which they disable before the load. The process duration of the new mechanism is under ten minutes, two minutes of which is rebuilding the indexes in the switch table.
    "Do you want some help implementing this?" "No thanks. It happens on Saturdays. We'll get around to it."
    The existing process has failed for the last four Saturdays, io timeouts.
    I'll get me coat.

    Chris, that sounds like it could be very interesting.  Are you going to write an article on it?

    Ed, you know very well I prefer walking around the office naked to writing articles! It's very well documented online already. I'm not sure I'd have anything of note to add. Except perhaps, having everything in one place.
    Like around 20% of the IT workforce here I'll be redundant at the end of next month. Lack of time won't be an excuse then.


    [font="Arial"]Low-hanging fruit picker and defender of the moggies[/font]

    For better assistance in answering your questions, please read this[/url].


    Understanding and using APPLY, (I)[/url] and (II)[/url] Paul White[/url]

    Hidden RBAR: Triangular Joins[/url] / The "Numbers" or "Tally" Table: What it is and how it replaces a loop[/url] Jeff Moden[/url]

  • jasona.work - Wednesday, January 3, 2018 12:56 PM

    Brandie Tarvin - Wednesday, January 3, 2018 12:42 PM

    I remember the one time it snowed in South Carolina when I lived there. Only about 2 inches. Nobody, and I mean NOBODY, on the road as I drove to work. I had keys to the workplace, so let myself in, turned off the alarm, logged into all the systems and waited. No customers, no co-workers. No one until about 90 minutes later (who came in looking for snow plows of all things). Finally, about 2.5 hours later, the boss comes in and everyone else straggles in AFTER the snow had melted.

    Boss wanted to know what I was doing in so early. Me, I wanted to know what was so bad about 2 inches of snow that no one could make it in on time.

    Even better then would have been if you drove some sort of sports car.

    I commuted from Colorado Springs to Denver for 15 years.  At my first employer, a 90 mile one way drive, I drove in during a snow storm (coming over Monument Hill ) to be greeted by my boss with the comment "What are you doing here?" to which I replied "I work here."  His follow-up response was "there were people who lived in Denver calling in that they couldn't make it to work."  I told him to call them back and tell them if I could make it they can make it.

  • Ed Wagner - Wednesday, January 3, 2018 1:25 PM

    jasona.work - Wednesday, January 3, 2018 12:55 PM

    Jeff Moden - Wednesday, January 3, 2018 12:32 PM

    Heh... I find that some don't even know how to drive on bare asphalt in the summer.

    /Me thinks about driving the Southfield during rush hour, breaks into a cold sweat...

    Yeah, you should.  I drive Telegraph and I'm sure today isn't going to be pleasant.

    I'll be honest, I don't drive the Southfield, thankfully it's not anywhere on my route to work.  I *have* had to drive it in the past, even when it's not rush hour it's bad...

    With this weather?
    The Southfield is going to be a madhouse, Telegraph probably won't be far behind.
    I just hope Van Dyke isn't too crazy.

  • Lynn Pettis - Wednesday, January 3, 2018 1:49 PM

    jasona.work - Wednesday, January 3, 2018 12:56 PM

    Brandie Tarvin - Wednesday, January 3, 2018 12:42 PM

    I remember the one time it snowed in South Carolina when I lived there. Only about 2 inches. Nobody, and I mean NOBODY, on the road as I drove to work. I had keys to the workplace, so let myself in, turned off the alarm, logged into all the systems and waited. No customers, no co-workers. No one until about 90 minutes later (who came in looking for snow plows of all things). Finally, about 2.5 hours later, the boss comes in and everyone else straggles in AFTER the snow had melted.

    Boss wanted to know what I was doing in so early. Me, I wanted to know what was so bad about 2 inches of snow that no one could make it in on time.

    Even better then would have been if you drove some sort of sports car.

    I commuted from Colorado Springs to Denver for 15 years.  At my first employer, a 90 mile one way drive, I drove in during a snow storm (coming over Monument Hill ) to be greeted by my boss with the comment "What are you doing here?" to which I replied "I work here."  His follow-up response was "there were people who lived in Denver calling in that they couldn't make it to work."  I told him to call them back and tell them if I could make it they can make it.

    WOW!!! That is a LONG commute my friend. I am spoiled to say the least. I am about 16 minutes from my kitchen to my desk. 35 minutes if I have to drop off both the kids (at two schools). According to google maps it is 8.1 miles. That means I don't even hit your one way commute to Denver in TWO WEEKS!!!! Your commute in one day was longer than my entire month. 😀

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  • Sean Lange - Wednesday, January 3, 2018 3:12 PM

    Lynn Pettis - Wednesday, January 3, 2018 1:49 PM

    jasona.work - Wednesday, January 3, 2018 12:56 PM

    Brandie Tarvin - Wednesday, January 3, 2018 12:42 PM

    I remember the one time it snowed in South Carolina when I lived there. Only about 2 inches. Nobody, and I mean NOBODY, on the road as I drove to work. I had keys to the workplace, so let myself in, turned off the alarm, logged into all the systems and waited. No customers, no co-workers. No one until about 90 minutes later (who came in looking for snow plows of all things). Finally, about 2.5 hours later, the boss comes in and everyone else straggles in AFTER the snow had melted.

    Boss wanted to know what I was doing in so early. Me, I wanted to know what was so bad about 2 inches of snow that no one could make it in on time.

    Even better then would have been if you drove some sort of sports car.

    I commuted from Colorado Springs to Denver for 15 years.  At my first employer, a 90 mile one way drive, I drove in during a snow storm (coming over Monument Hill ) to be greeted by my boss with the comment "What are you doing here?" to which I replied "I work here."  His follow-up response was "there were people who lived in Denver calling in that they couldn't make it to work."  I told him to call them back and tell them if I could make it they can make it.

    WOW!!! That is a LONG commute my friend. I am spoiled to say the least. I am about 16 minutes from my kitchen to my desk. 35 minutes if I have to drop off both the kids (at two schools). According to google maps it is 8.1 miles. That means I don't even hit your one way commute to Denver in TWO WEEKS!!!! Your commute in one day was longer than my entire month. 😀

    For 3.5 years, 90 miles one way 5 days a week. For over 11 years it was 65 miles one way 5 days a week.  Where I work now is about a 7 minute drive from my dad's house to work when the traffic is light to moderate, even heavy traffic depending on where the slow down occurs.

  • Brandie Tarvin - Wednesday, January 3, 2018 12:42 PM

    I remember the one time it snowed in South Carolina when I lived there. Only about 2 inches. Nobody, and I mean NOBODY, on the road as I drove to work. I had keys to the workplace, so let myself in, turned off the alarm, logged into all the systems and waited. No customers, no co-workers. No one until about 90 minutes later (who came in looking for snow plows of all things). Finally, about 2.5 hours later, the boss comes in and everyone else straggles in AFTER the snow had melted.

    Boss wanted to know what I was doing in so early. Me, I wanted to know what was so bad about 2 inches of snow that no one could make it in on time.

    I called in a snow day once - Halloween blizzard of 1991.
    Then my wife wanted to go to the store. Took me 2 hours to get my 4 wd Suburban to the road from the garage.
    Was lucky - I had broken my snow blower, and spotted a neighbor stuck and trying to get his skid steer off the trailer.
    Was able to hire him to do my drive.
    That was a heavy wet snow and then it got cold. Roads were a mess for a couple of weeks.
    So when they get the lake effects storms, I know what a pain it can be.

  • Lynn Pettis - Wednesday, January 3, 2018 1:49 PM

    jasona.work - Wednesday, January 3, 2018 12:56 PM

    Brandie Tarvin - Wednesday, January 3, 2018 12:42 PM

    I remember the one time it snowed in South Carolina when I lived there. Only about 2 inches. Nobody, and I mean NOBODY, on the road as I drove to work. I had keys to the workplace, so let myself in, turned off the alarm, logged into all the systems and waited. No customers, no co-workers. No one until about 90 minutes later (who came in looking for snow plows of all things). Finally, about 2.5 hours later, the boss comes in and everyone else straggles in AFTER the snow had melted.

    Boss wanted to know what I was doing in so early. Me, I wanted to know what was so bad about 2 inches of snow that no one could make it in on time.

    Even better then would have been if you drove some sort of sports car.

    I commuted from Colorado Springs to Denver for 15 years.  At my first employer, a 90 mile one way drive, I drove in during a snow storm (coming over Monument Hill ) to be greeted by my boss with the comment "What are you doing here?" to which I replied "I work here."  His follow-up response was "there were people who lived in Denver calling in that they couldn't make it to work."  I told him to call them back and tell them if I could make it they can make it.

    I remember the winter of 2010-11, I was working in Gloucester, about 180 miles from home in Leeds.  (UK).  There had been some snow over the weekend, but I could get to the main road easily enough, and everything was ploughed from there to the office.  Took about 20 minutes longer than usual - so nearer 3.5 hours, rather than just over 3.

    I got in, settled down, a few colleagues turned up.  Then, about 9 o'clock, one of my very local colleagues in the support team phoned in saying he was snowed in.  Boss's response?  "Thomas is here."  Colleague arrived an hour later, looking as if he had hoped to get away with it...  I refused to feel guilty.

    I think that might have been the week I got home and abandoned the car on the road outside my house, and found that the snow was up to above the bottom of the door...

    Thomas Rushton
    blog: https://thelonedba.wordpress.com

  • ThomasRushton - Thursday, January 4, 2018 1:35 AM

    Lynn Pettis - Wednesday, January 3, 2018 1:49 PM

    jasona.work - Wednesday, January 3, 2018 12:56 PM

    Brandie Tarvin - Wednesday, January 3, 2018 12:42 PM

    I remember the one time it snowed in South Carolina when I lived there. Only about 2 inches. Nobody, and I mean NOBODY, on the road as I drove to work. I had keys to the workplace, so let myself in, turned off the alarm, logged into all the systems and waited. No customers, no co-workers. No one until about 90 minutes later (who came in looking for snow plows of all things). Finally, about 2.5 hours later, the boss comes in and everyone else straggles in AFTER the snow had melted.

    Boss wanted to know what I was doing in so early. Me, I wanted to know what was so bad about 2 inches of snow that no one could make it in on time.

    Even better then would have been if you drove some sort of sports car.

    I commuted from Colorado Springs to Denver for 15 years.  At my first employer, a 90 mile one way drive, I drove in during a snow storm (coming over Monument Hill ) to be greeted by my boss with the comment "What are you doing here?" to which I replied "I work here."  His follow-up response was "there were people who lived in Denver calling in that they couldn't make it to work."  I told him to call them back and tell them if I could make it they can make it.

    I remember the winter of 2010-11, I was working in Gloucester, about 180 miles from home in Leeds.  (UK).  There had been some snow over the weekend, but I could get to the main road easily enough, and everything was ploughed from there to the office.  Took about 20 minutes longer than usual - so nearer 3.5 hours, rather than just over 3.

    I got in, settled down, a few colleagues turned up.  Then, about 9 o'clock, one of my very local colleagues in the support team phoned in saying he was snowed in.  Boss's response?  "Thomas is here."  Colleague arrived an hour later, looking as if he had hoped to get away with it...  I refused to feel guilty.

    I think that might have been the week I got home and abandoned the car on the road outside my house, and found that the snow was up to above the bottom of the door...

    I'm on the other side of the Pennines from Thomas and, for the UK, quite a way up in the hills.  On Friday we had several hours of heavy snow forecast, starting at about 0500.  I usually set off for work at 0700 so I was dubious about whether or not I'd make it to work in Salford.  When I got in the car my road was pretty well covered but nothing too bad and my conscience said I couldn't take a snow day, particularly because I was only 100 yards from the main road and less than a mile from the motorway after that.  Off I went...
    By 0830 when my wife got up (she's a teacher so was enjoying the Christmas break) there was 4 inches of snow on the road, that might not sound a lot to many but will cripple this country, and nobody was going anywhere.  Delivery drivers were ringing up to say they couldn't get to the house and she was starting to wonder whether we were going to be able to get away for the New Year break.  The North side of Manchester was completely grid-locked and people who lived much closer to the office were unable to get in.

    I on the other hand, had sailed into work and was sat at my desk cursing my early start habit.  If I'd left it another hour or even less before setting off I would have been 'working from home' that day. By the time I headed back it had been raining for two hours and there was nothing left.


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  • Something as normal as an ice scraper to clear the windshield appears to be an item not sold in some areas hit with the recent weather.
    Makes a person think a bit more how unusual this weather is.
    Hope my buddy in North Carolina drained the Models T's.
    Just water, no antifreeze, so could turn into an expensive mess.
    He used to live in Michigan and Minnesota, so he should be OK.

  • ChrisM@home - Wednesday, January 3, 2018 1:43 PM

    Ed Wagner - Wednesday, January 3, 2018 1:18 PM

    ChrisM@Work - Wednesday, January 3, 2018 10:11 AM

    Just spent a business day prototyping a partition-switch mechanism to improve the performance of a weekly data feed of 50M rows into a 12,000,000,000 row table. It takes ten hours. Most of this time is rebuilding the indexes, which they disable before the load. The process duration of the new mechanism is under ten minutes, two minutes of which is rebuilding the indexes in the switch table.
    "Do you want some help implementing this?" "No thanks. It happens on Saturdays. We'll get around to it."
    The existing process has failed for the last four Saturdays, io timeouts.
    I'll get me coat.

    Chris, that sounds like it could be very interesting.  Are you going to write an article on it?

    Ed, you know very well I prefer walking around the office naked to writing articles! It's very well documented online already. I'm not sure I'd have anything of note to add. Except perhaps, having everything in one place.
    Like around 20% of the IT workforce here I'll be redundant at the end of next month. Lack of time won't be an excuse then.

    Well, you can't blame me for trying.  I've been doing a lot with presentations lately, but haven't written any new articles in a long time.  Maybe some of these presentations will lead to the articles writing themselves.

  • Ed Wagner - Thursday, January 4, 2018 9:13 AM

    ChrisM@home - Wednesday, January 3, 2018 1:43 PM

    Ed Wagner - Wednesday, January 3, 2018 1:18 PM

    ChrisM@Work - Wednesday, January 3, 2018 10:11 AM

    Just spent a business day prototyping a partition-switch mechanism to improve the performance of a weekly data feed of 50M rows into a 12,000,000,000 row table. It takes ten hours. Most of this time is rebuilding the indexes, which they disable before the load. The process duration of the new mechanism is under ten minutes, two minutes of which is rebuilding the indexes in the switch table.
    "Do you want some help implementing this?" "No thanks. It happens on Saturdays. We'll get around to it."
    The existing process has failed for the last four Saturdays, io timeouts.
    I'll get me coat.

    Chris, that sounds like it could be very interesting.  Are you going to write an article on it?

    Ed, you know very well I prefer walking around the office naked to writing articles! It's very well documented online already. I'm not sure I'd have anything of note to add. Except perhaps, having everything in one place.
    Like around 20% of the IT workforce here I'll be redundant at the end of next month. Lack of time won't be an excuse then.

    Well, you can't blame me for trying.  I've been doing a lot with presentations lately, but haven't written any new articles in a long time.  Maybe some of these presentations will lead to the articles writing themselves.

    It's worth looking at again, so thanks for that. Anyone else interested at this point in time, there are the key references I used:

    https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms191160(v=sql.105).aspx

     

    https://www.cathrinewilhelmsen.net/2015/04/19/table-partitioning-in-sql-server-partition-switching/#switch2

     

    https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/t-sql/statements/alter-table-transact-sql#partitioned-tables

    The Catherine Wilhelmsen article in particular - just awesome.

    “Write the query the simplest way. If through testing it becomes clear that the performance is inadequate, consider alternative query forms.” - Gail Shaw

    For fast, accurate and documented assistance in answering your questions, please read this article.
    Understanding and using APPLY, (I) and (II) Paul White
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