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.

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ANECDOTE

Accidental DBA

Grant Fritchey became a DBA accidentally after his boss assigned him database tasks.
This happened after he voiced concerns about worsening database issues at a .com company where he was a developer.

ADVICE

Database Selection

Choose databases based on project needs, not familiarity.
Different database types like relational, document, or object-oriented suit different purposes.

ADVICE

Backup and Restore

Backups are essential, regardless of storage system reliability.
Regularly test restores to ensure backup functionality and prepare for emergencies.

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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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