Automation on Andy M Mallon - AM²

Stop using sp_hexadecimal & sp_help_revlogin

Tue, 06 Jul 2021 09:00:52 -0400

Caterpillars transform into beautiful butterflies to realize their full self, much in the same way CONVERT() changes binary into beautiful hexadecimal strings.

Since I started at Stack Overflow, I’ve had the chance to see some of the interesting challenges with running our databases at our scale.

Code to purge data based on creation date

Thu, 04 Apr 2019 08:30:16 -0400

Only one thing can spark more joy than cleaning up old data. Doggos. Yesterday, I talked about batching deletes, and the day before I talked about how much I like to delete data, and why it's necessary to do it, despite being a data packrat.

Today, let’s look at just one scenario, and how I like to handle it. In my experience, this is one of the most common purge requirements (and probably the easiest), so first, let’s look at the business requirements.

Purging data with batched deletes

Wed, 03 Apr 2019 08:30:13 -0400

This person understands that batching deletes can be helpful. Yesterday, I wrote about the importance of planning your data purges. Today, let's look at the simplest requirement for purging data: Keep data for X days after it's created. There are tons of cases where this is the rule. Log data, telemetry data, even transactional data is often retained based on X days since it is created.

Given how common this scenario is, let’s talk in a bit more detail about I like to go about deleting it. Deleting data is easy, right? DELETE t FROM dbo.Transactions AS t WHERE CreateDate <= DATEADD(dd,-90,GETDATE());

The thrill of purging old data

Tue, 02 Apr 2019 09:00:54 -0400

I get a thrill from roller coasters, but for some people it just makes them purge their lunch.

DBAs & Data professionals tend to be digital pack rats. My personal Google Drive is filled with random files that I refused to part with–even though it’s of questionable value. I lament that I do not have a copy of every paper I typed in high school or college–and I envy those who do. You never know when you’ll need notes from that meeting 6 years ago, or when you’ll need that funny GIF you created for an inside joke you no longer remember.

Building a Twitter-bot RSS Aggregator

Wed, 11 Jan 2017 23:13:34 -0500

I hate RSS readers

I love my new bot

For some reason, about once a year, I go hunting for a new RSS reader so I can keep track of blogs that I like to read. It’s always the same process:

Dig through reviews to find an app that I think I will love.
Come up with a list of blogs that I like to read.
Install and configure RSS reader app.
Spend the night reading blog posts.
Use app for a week.
Never open RSS reader app again.

Well, it's time to stop the insanity. Its time to stop doing the same thing over and over again, hoping it will work this time. Its time to find a solution that really works.

Before I can find something that works, I need to think about