Ward Pond's SQL Server blog

Ruminating on issues pertinent to the design and development of sound databases and processes under Microsoft SQL Server 2008, SQL Server 2005, and SQL Server 2000 (while reserving the right to vent about anything else that's on my mind)

Cumulative Upgrade 4 for SQL Server 2005 Service Pack 3 is Now Available

Actually, I’m about a month late to the party on this one..  but I’ve been busy.. Cumulative...

Author: Ward Pond Date: 07/15/2009

DWWTWT?: July 6-10

Another week of telecommuting from beautiful (albeit rainy) central Florida: Commuting Options...

Author: Ward Pond Date: 07/10/2009

DWWTWT?: July 1-3

The month begins with two more days of telecommuting after last week’s trip to Redmond followed by...

Author: Ward Pond Date: 07/03/2009

Database Programming: The Time Zone Conversion Beast, Once Comatose, Returns to Taunt Us a Second Time (or, An Answer for Iain)

Now go away, or we shall taunt you a second time. - John Cleese as a French knight (picture at...

Author: Ward Pond Date: 07/02/2009

DWWTWT?: June 29-30

After last week in Redmond, this week begins and the month ends with a return to telecommuting:...

Author: Ward Pond Date: 06/30/2009

DWWTWT?: June 22-26

I probably shouldn’t have gone, but I did end up flying to Redmond and driving to work all week:...

Author: Ward Pond Date: 06/26/2009

Serving the SQL Server Blogosphere for a Twenty-Fifth of a Century!

Yes, it’s true.. when this post goes live, it will have been exactly four years (adjusted for a time...

Author: Ward Pond Date: 06/22/2009

SQL Rap Contest Results in the Hizzle!

As my team celebrates the successful release of the latest version (v 2.5, for those of you keeping...

Author: Ward Pond Date: 06/19/2009

DWWTWT?: June 15-19

Yet another week telecommuting from home, while running back and forth to protect Gale from the same...

Author: Ward Pond Date: 06/19/2009

Database Programming: Using the .modify() Method Against an XML Variable in SQL Server 2008

Make a note..  here’s my first useful programming tip for SQL Server 2008 (and yes, there will...

Author: Ward Pond Date: 06/17/2009

Happy Birthday, Mom v78.04

Today would’ve been my mother’s 82nd birthday if we hadn’t lost her to emphysema on 4 November...

Author: Ward Pond Date: 06/17/2009

It’s Milestone Season!

June is definitely milestone season in this neck of the woods. Not only is today the third...

Author: Ward Pond Date: 06/12/2009

DWWTWT?: June 8-12

Another grand week spent telecommuting from home: Commuting Options Selected since 12 June 2006 Mode...

Author: Ward Pond Date: 06/12/2009

Mark Russinovich Windows 7 Application Compatibility Virtual Roundtable on June 18

On Thursday, June 18 at 11am PDT, Mark Russinovich will host the first of a two-session virtual...

Author: Ward Pond Date: 06/11/2009

DWWTWT?: June 1-5

This week was spent catching up with work while telecommuting from home: Commuting Options Selected...

Author: Ward Pond Date: 06/05/2009

Another Period of Blog Neglect Ends; Firefox Display Issues Repaired

Earlier this evening, thanks to a helpful comment from eXcalibur, I was able to resolve the funky...

Author: Ward Pond Date: 06/03/2009

DWWTWT?: May 18-29

This two week period was spent recovering from my latest bout of gastrointestinal distress:...

Author: Ward Pond Date: 05/29/2009

DWWTWT?: May 11-15

This was a full week of telecommuting in the woods: Commuting Options Selected since 12 June 2006...

Author: Ward Pond Date: 05/15/2009

DWWTWT?: May 4-8

The week included my first foray into work-related driving in over a month, as I drove to Orlando on...

Author: Ward Pond Date: 05/09/2009

More Blog Disruptions

I'm tweaking CSS in an effort to resolve the FireFox display issues. I'll update when this work is...

Author: Ward Pond Date: 05/06/2009

Blog Disruptions Today Now Complete; New Toys Now Available

UPDATED 3 May 2009 5:00p ET: My updates are complete for the day. I’ve widened the left-hand sidebar...

Author: Ward Pond Date: 05/03/2009

Thank You, Chris and Jorge: Follow-Up to Chris Shaw’s SQL Quiz 4

Last week I was tagged by Jorge Segarra (a/k/a @SQLChicken) in a meme started by Chris Shaw, who...

Author: Ward Pond Date: 05/01/2009

DWWTWT?: May 1

The weeks ends and a new month begins with one more day of telecommuting from sunny Florida:...

Author: Ward Pond Date: 05/01/2009

Paul Randal Explains a Performance Bug

Paul Randal has another must-read post regarding a performance bug which surfaces in earlier...

Author: Ward Pond Date: 04/30/2009

DWWTWT?: April 27-30

The month ends with more telecommuting from sunny Florida: Commuting Options Selected since 12 June...

Author: Ward Pond Date: 04/30/2009

Yes, It’s True – I’m A Judge in SQL Fool’s RAP Contest

I’ll say one thing for Michelle Ufford, the SQL Fool: she’s not one to leave a good idea on the...

Author: Ward Pond Date: 04/29/2009

DWWTWT?: April 20-24

More telecommuting from sunny Florida (although today was a bit discombobulated due to Gale’s sinus...

Author: Ward Pond Date: 04/24/2009

Cumulative Update Package 1 For SQL Server 2008 Service Pack 1 is Available for Download

Jens, the newly minted MCM:Database (congratulations, Jens!) had this last week.. For those waiting...

Author: Ward Pond Date: 04/22/2009

DWWTWT?: April 13-17

Another full week of telecommuting from beautiful central Florida: Commuting Options Selected since...

Author: Ward Pond Date: 04/17/2009

R.I.P. Jong Ku Kim

Sad news today that Jong Ku Kim, a Premier Field Engineer with Microsoft Services, on Tuesday lost...

Author: Ward Pond Date: 04/17/2009

Changing the Default Collation When No User Databases are Present

UPDATED 13 April 2009: The SAPWD parameter sets the sa password; use BLANKSAPWD if you don’t wish to...

Author: Ward Pond Date: 04/13/2009

Paul S. Randal Has Another Important Survey

Paul’s latest survey is a deep dive into the physical layout of your databases. It’s the same basic...

Author: Ward Pond Date: 04/11/2009

I’m Not Sure This is Progress..

.. but after some serious goading from Jimmy May and Michelle Ufford, I’ve taken the plunge and...

Author: Ward Pond Date: 04/11/2009

DWWTWT?: April 6-10

A full week of telecommuting as my health continues to improve:   Commuting Options Selected since...

Author: Ward Pond Date: 04/10/2009

DWWTWT?: April 1-3

The new month and quarter begin as the old ones ended: with a continued return to productivity from...

Author: Ward Pond Date: 04/03/2009

DWWTWT?: March 30-31

The month and quarter end with a return to productivity from home after last week’s excitement:...

Author: Ward Pond Date: 03/31/2009

DWWTWT?: March 23-27

Spent the week dealing with what’s been diagnosed as an intestinal infection. Not recommended and...

Author: Ward Pond Date: 03/28/2009

DWWTWT?: March 16-20

Another full week of telecommuting, this one culminating with a celebration of the vernal equinox:...

Author: Ward Pond Date: 03/20/2009

Database Programming: The OPENROWSET Trick, Revisited

One of the most popular posts in the history of this little corner of the Internets is one from...

Author: Ward Pond Date: 03/20/2009

IE8 is Here!

Microsoft’s newest web browser, Internet Explorer 8, was released about three hours ago and is now...

Author: Ward Pond Date: 03/19/2009

Better Late Than Never: Disaster Recovery Webcast This Morning

I’m a little late to the party here, but this is pretty apropos of some of our discussions here...

Author: Ward Pond Date: 03/19/2009

What I Know Now: Ward’s Epistle to the N00bs

And I remember what she said to me How she swore that it never would end I remember how she held me,...

Author: Ward Pond Date: 03/15/2009

Paul S. Randal Posts Some Sobering Statistics

Paul’s name should be familiar to denizens of the SQL Server blogosphere. Along with his wife,...

Author: Ward Pond Date: 03/13/2009

DWWTWT?: March 9-13

After last week’s brief foray into internal combustion, this week marked a return to normal (or at...

Author: Ward Pond Date: 03/13/2009

TechNet White Paper on SQL Server Virtualization Now Available

Great news today from Mark Pohto: the TechNet White Paper SQL Server Consolidation at Microsoft has...

Author: Ward Pond Date: 03/11/2009

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