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)
This Space Is Closed -- at least for now
(updated 14 October 2010 to include a pointer to my new SQL Server-related blog) Today I received...
Date: 10/13/2010
More About Our Dad, Thomas Alexander Pond
We've posted Dad's obituary online at my website. Please stop by and read it. He lived a remarkable...
Date: 09/04/2010
RIP Thomas Alexander Pond: 1924-2010
I’ve been down, but not like this before - Paul Barrere (Little Feat), All That You Dream...
Date: 09/02/2010
Two New Corners of the InterWebs -- and They’re Mine!
A busy weekend here in central Florida, as I established two new personal domains:...
Date: 07/19/2010
Serving the SQL Server Blogosphere for a Twentieth of a Century!
It’s been exactly five years since this blog went live with a questionable Admiral Stockdale...
Date: 06/22/2010
Five Things About sp_.. (okay.. Four Things and a Closing Argument)
Celebrating the first day of Summer with the first technical post on the blog since mid-Winter...
Date: 06/21/2010
Happy Birthday, Mom v78.05
Today would’ve been my mother’s 83rd birthday if we hadn’t lost her to emphysema on 4 November...
Date: 06/17/2010
MERGE, XML Access, and a CTE: Not So Fast
A bit of old news, as I return to the blog in earnest after some time away.. Last summer, in the...
Date: 02/06/2010
DWWTWT?: January, 2010
After spending the first three “working” days of the month enjoying the end of my sons’ holiday...
Date: 01/31/2010
R.I.P. Robert B. Parker
Sad news today from the world of letters with the passing of Robert B. Parker, author of over 50...
Date: 01/20/2010
DWWTWT?: December, 2009
December saw three days of driving to Tampa for a customer visit, followed by eleven days of...
Date: 12/31/2009
Happy Birthday Dad v85.0
Today is my dad’s eighty-fifth birthday. It was my intention to travel to Vermont to surprise...
Date: 12/04/2009
DWWTWT?: November 9-30
The remainder of the month featured two weeks of telecommuting, one week of non-competition (for...
Date: 11/30/2009
DWWTWT?: November 2-6
The new month began with yet another telecommuting-filled week: Commuting Options Selected since 12...
Date: 11/06/2009
DWWTWT?: October 26-30
The month ended with another telecommuting-filled week: Commuting Options Selected since 12 June...
Date: 10/30/2009
New Career Campaign From Microsoft Learning
UPDATED 27 October 2009 with the correct expiration date for the E-Learning Collections discount...
Date: 10/26/2009
Pond’s Laws Home Page Now Live
Thanks to yet another kick-in-the-pants from Jimmy May (did he play soccer as a youth?) the Pond’s...
Date: 10/26/2009
The Pond's Laws Home Page
This page will serve as a compendium of Pond’s Laws posts. The individual posts which promulgate the...
Date: 10/26/2009
DWWTWT?: October 19-23
The week again featured a full week of telecommuting.. relatively good health is a wonderful thing:...
Date: 10/23/2009
Windows 7 Now Available
You might have heard about this somewhere else.. but Windows 7 was launched today. I recently got an...
Date: 10/22/2009
Pond’s Thirteenth Law: Change Won’t Be Cheaper Tomorrow
Herewith, a discussion of the emergence of Pond’s Thirteenth Law (if you need to catch up, here are...
Date: 10/20/2009
Beta 2 Release for Visual Studio 2010 and .NET Framework 4 Available for Download
Exciting news for the developer community: yesterday Microsoft released the second beta for Visual...
Date: 10/20/2009
DWWTWT?: October 12-16
The week featured a full week of telecommuting: Commuting Options Selected since 12 June 2006 Mode...
Date: 10/16/2009
DWWTWT?: October 5-9
The week featured three noncompetitive days due to illness, followed by two telecommutes: Commuting...
Date: 10/09/2009
DWWTWT?: October 1-2
The fourth quarter begins with a pair of telecommutes: Commuting Options Selected since 12 June 2006...
Date: 10/02/2009
DWWTWT?: September 30
After yesterday’s milestone, the month and quarter conclude with a telecommute (green commute #501):...
Date: 09/30/2009
DWWTWT?: September 28-29
The week starts out with a couple of telecommuting days: Commuting Options Selected since 12 June...
Date: 09/29/2009
Mark Your Calendar: Windows 7 Readiness Webcast on October 6
The following description of a pending webcast arrived in my inbox earlier this week; I thought it...
Date: 09/29/2009
A Gift From Jens and Jimmy
Two Microsoft folks frequently featured in this space, Microsoft Certified Masters Jimmy May and...
Date: 09/28/2009
SQL Server 2008 R2 August CTP Available for Download
If you’re interested in the next release of SQL Server, the BI-focused SQL Server 2008 R2, you’ll be...
Date: 09/28/2009
DWWTWT?: September 14-25
These last two weeks have been spent diligently telecommuting from the woods of central Florida:...
Date: 09/25/2009
DWWTWT?: September 7-11
After Monday’s Labor Day holiday, the remainder of the week was spent telecommuting from the woods...
Date: 09/11/2009
Pond’s Twelfth Law: In Your Pursuit of Five Nines, Don’t Practice in Front of the CIO
After a long hiatus, Pond’s Laws of System Design (or, How to Be a Competent Professional in an...
Date: 09/09/2009
Database Programming: A New String Concatenation Contender for SQL Server 2008
UPDATED 11:11p 7 September 2009: Based on my latest exchange with Adam (see the comments for this...
Date: 09/07/2009
DWWTWT?: September 1-4
The month begins and the week proceeds with an uninterrupted telecommuting stretch: Commuting...
Date: 09/04/2009
Database Programming: Did You Know IN Can Do This?
Courtesy of Jens Suessmeyer comes this little gem purloined from an internal discussion;...
Date: 09/04/2009
Download a New Browser and Help Feed the Hungry
I sure wish I’d known about this sooner.. If you haven’t yet downloaded Internet Explorer 8, here’s...
Date: 09/02/2009
DWWTWT?: August 31
The month ends and the week begins with a telecommute: Commuting Options Selected since 12 June 2006...
Date: 08/31/2009
Adam Machanic Likes MERGE, Too
Hot on the heels of yesterday’s MERGE discussion comes a complementary (and far more detailed) take...
Date: 08/25/2009
Database Programming: Why I Like MERGE
In the wake of last month’s post on my new development efforts in SQL Server 2008, several of you...
Date: 08/24/2009
DWWTWT?: August 17-21
I took Friday off this week to celebrate the last day of summer vacation with my family after a week...
Date: 08/21/2009
DWWTWT?: August 10-14
My energy level has improved markedly through a week of telecommuting: Commuting Options Selected...
Date: 08/14/2009
DWWTWT?: August 3-7
I had gallbladder surgery on Monday and was home Wednesday night. Amazingly, I was back to work from...
Date: 08/07/2009
At the Onset of My Fiftieth Year
Those of you who follow me on Twitter or Facebook are aware that I’ve spent the last week and a half...
Date: 08/06/2009
DWWTWT?: July 27-31
The planned all-driving week was postponed due to several extenuating circumstances, and will...
Date: 07/31/2009
Database Programming: What I’ve Learned About SQL Server 2008 (with a little on SQL Server 2005 thrown in)
With SQLRAP 2.5 out the door a couple of weeks ago, I’ve been free to turn to another project, SIPA,...
Date: 07/26/2009
One Giant Leap for an Aspiring Geek: Congratulations, Jimmy May!
Forty years ago this past Monday, I sat in rapt yet bleary-eyed amazement as a flickering...
Date: 07/26/2009
DWWTWT?: July 20-24
Two interruptions to work this week: a trip to Ocala on Monday to a water park to celebrate my...
Date: 07/24/2009
DWWTWT?: July 13-17
Another week, another batch of telecommutes: Commuting Options Selected since 12 June 2006 Mode of...
Date: 07/18/2009