SQLskills is powered by Paul S. Randal and Kimberly L. Tripp, two of the world’s most renowned SQL Server experts. Our team is dedicated to providing the highest quality and most in-depth training and consulting in the market. We aim to give you the best return on your investment, starting with our in-depth SQL Server health checks where you only pay for the time we use – no expensive, fixed-size engagements.If you need training, choose from our array of in-person training classes (our… Show more SQLskills is powered by Paul S. Randal and Kimberly L. Tripp, two of the world’s most renowned SQL Server experts. Our team is dedicated to providing the highest quality and most in-depth training and consulting in the market. We aim to give you the best return on your investment, starting with our in-depth SQL Server health checks where you only pay for the time we use – no expensive, fixed-size engagements.If you need training, choose from our array of in-person training classes (our popular Immersion Event) or our large catalog of online Pluralsight courses. We ensure that you get real-world expertise that you can immediately put into practice, making you a better SQL Server professional and providing clear value to your company. Whatever your requirements are – from extensive performance tuning to architectural reviews to virtualization to hardware design and upgrades to remote DBA to working with products like kCura’s Relativity or Microsoft’s Dynamics – we can do it all! Show less

This is a column that Paul and I started so that we could answer your questions in more of a blog format - where we could put a lot more details and write responses almost like articles. There are so many questions where the answer is "It Depends" and well... this was a medium that allowed us to expand the dependencies and give a lot more detail. Check out our Q&A column here: http://www.sqlmag.com/blogs/SQLServerQuestionsAnswered.aspx.

I've worked with SQL Server Magazine for many years. First as an author, then as a founder of TSQL Solutions Journal and for the majority of time as a contributing editor to the magazine.

First working for Microsoft University (MSU) as a Trainer for Lan Manager and SQL Server and then moving to the SQL Server Development Team in Testing and then UE (User Education). To be honest, I loved working there but never really found my real place to be. I loved consulting, writing, teaching - and in many areas of SQL Server. MSU was probably the best fit but in 1993 they got out of "direct deliveries" and moved to TTTs and what's now Microsoft Learning (better scalability). My… Show more First working for Microsoft University (MSU) as a Trainer for Lan Manager and SQL Server and then moving to the SQL Server Development Team in Testing and then UE (User Education). To be honest, I loved working there but never really found my real place to be. I loved consulting, writing, teaching - and in many areas of SQL Server. MSU was probably the best fit but in 1993 they got out of "direct deliveries" and moved to TTTs and what's now Microsoft Learning (better scalability). My years on the SQL Server Development Team were absolutely fantastic for learning but in testing I was too narrow (too focused on the small area I was testing) and in UE, I was too isolated - locked up writing all day. When I left in 1995 I wasn't sure where I'd go... but I've never been happier than working for myself and deciding my own direction. Show less

I worked with LAN/mind as a Trainer focusing on Microsoft products. At the time this included OS/2, LAN/Manager and a very green SQL Server for OS/2. I became a Microsoft Certified Professional in 1990 and had MCP ID# 128. I became an MCT (in 1990) and delivered courses through Microsof's Partner Program. I loved the training part of things and very quickly realized that SQL Server was something on which I really wanted to focus and understand deeply. And, after my first visit out to Microsoft,… Show more I worked with LAN/mind as a Trainer focusing on Microsoft products. At the time this included OS/2, LAN/Manager and a very green SQL Server for OS/2. I became a Microsoft Certified Professional in 1990 and had MCP ID# 128. I became an MCT (in 1990) and delivered courses through Microsof's Partner Program. I loved the training part of things and very quickly realized that SQL Server was something on which I really wanted to focus and understand deeply. And, after my first visit out to Microsoft, I decided more than anything that I wanted to live out in the Pacific Northwest. What an amazing place! Show less