Azure & DevOps Podcast

Database Hygiene: Grant Fritchey - Episode 319

Oct 14, 2024

Grant Fritchey, a Product Advocate at Red Gate Software with over 30 years in IT, delves into crucial database hygiene topics. He emphasizes the importance of regular backups and recovery planning to safeguard data integrity. Grant also discusses the nuances of database selection, comparing OLTP systems to traditional setups. He shares insights on adapting to document support in major platforms and highlights the balance between cost and recovery objectives, offering practical advice for effective database management.

37:19

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Grant Fritchey

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

Grant Fritchey discusses his unexpected transition from software development to database administration, highlighting the importance of hands-on experience and problem-solving skills in career development.

He emphasizes the critical need for reliable data hygiene practices, particularly regular testing of backup and restore processes to avoid data loss disasters.

Deep dives

Grant Fritchie’s Career Path to Database Administration

Grant Fritchie shares how he unexpectedly transitioned from software development to database administration, highlighting that his interest in data management grew organically through his development work. Initially working for a .com company, he encountered escalating database issues after the departure of their DBA, which prompted him to engage in discussions with his boss on how to improve the situation. His boss, recognizing his passion and skills, appointed him as the new DBA, providing him with a pay raise and a new career direction. This experience illustrates how hands-on involvement and a knack for problem-solving can lead to significant career shifts in the tech industry.

Intro

3min

Transition from Developer to Database Administrator: A Career Journey

2min

Navigating Database Choices

8min

The Crucial Role of Backups and Restoration in Database Management

6min

Mastering Database Backup and Recovery

16min

Navigating the Role of Reluctant Database Administrators

2min

Grant Fritchey has over thirty years of experience in IT, specializing in development and database administration. He works for Red Gate Software as a Product Advocate and writes articles for SQL Server Central and Simple-Talk. He is the author of “SQL Server Execution Plans” and “SQL Server Query Performance Tuning.” He also co-authored “Query Store for SQL Server 2019,” “Expert Performance Indexing,” “SQL Server MVP Deep Dives 2,” “Beginning SQL Server 2012 Administration,” and “Pro SQL Server 2012 Practices.”

He presents at conferences and user groups worldwide and is available for part-time, short-term consulting contracts.Since 2009, he has been recognized as a Microsoft SQL Server MVP. He has received the AWS Community Builder award for the past five years. In 2014, he was honored as a Dunn & Bradstreet MVP, and in 2011, he received the Tech10 Award in Rhode Island.

Topics of Discussion:

[:35] Introduction of Grant Fritchey and his career in IT and database administration. [3:23] Grant’s journey from software development to becoming a DBA. [5:13] The importance of database selection and how different types of databases serve different needs. [11:27] Grant’s view on the addition of document support to major database platforms. [13:29] Database hygiene basics and the importance of regular backups and restore practices. [19:26] The business side of database recovery and balancing cost with recovery objectives (RPO/RTO). [25:03] Grant’s recommendations for testing database restores. [28:08] Automation in DevOps and the importance of human training in recovery processes. [31:53] Managing data warehouses and recovery strategies for large databases. [35:12] Resources for developers without dedicated DBAs to ensure good database hygiene.

Mentioned in this Episode:

Clear Measure Way

Architect Forum

Software Engineer Forum

Programming with Palermo — New Video Podcast! Email us at programming@palermo.net.

Clear Measure, Inc. (Sponsor)

.NET DevOps for Azure: A Developer’s Guide to DevOps Architecture the Right Way, by Jeffrey Palermo — Available on Amazon!

Jeffrey Palermo’s Twitter — Follow to stay informed about future events!

SimpleTalk by Redgate

ScaryDBA.com

Grant Fritchey on X

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