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We've heard the confessional story from Pixar that Toy Story 2 was almost lost due to a bad backup, but sometimes there is no 'almost'. Grant Fritchey casts a sympathetic eye over some catastrophic data losses, and gives advice on how to avoid what he has termed an RGE (résumé generating event)...

Details: http://www.simple-talk.com/sql/backup-and-recovery/backups,-what-are-they-good-for/

The biggest new feature in C#5 is Async, and its associated Await (contextual) keyword. Anybody who is faced with creating Metro applications for Windows 8 is having to tackle the very different mindset of Async Programming. Clive explains what is happening under the covers and how one can investigate, using .NET Reflector...

Details: http://www.simple-talk.com/dotnet/.net-tools/c-async-what-is-it,-and-how-does-it-work/

No, seriously, this one is about time. I recently had an issue in a work database where a query was giving random.....

Details: http://www.simple-talk.com/community/blogs/jonathanallen/109526.aspx

"Imagination…One little spark, of inspiration… is at the heart, of all creation." – From the song "One Little.....

Details: http://www.simple-talk.com/community/blogs/drsql/109509.aspx

I'm pleased to announce that .NET Demon will be shipping simultaneously with Visual Studio 11, whenever it ends up.....

Details: http://www.simple-talk.com/community/blogs/alex/109482.aspx

SQL Views are essential for the database developer. However, it is common to see them misued, or neglected. Joe Celko tackles an introduction to the subject, but there is something about the topic that makes it likely that even the experienced developer will find out something new from reading it...

Details: http://www.simple-talk.com/sql/learn-sql-server/sql-view-basics/

In this excerpt from his book Troubleshooting SQL Server: A Guide for the Accidental DBA, Jonathan Kehayias provides a guide to identifying the causes, reacting to, and ultimately preventing the dreaded deadlock...

Details: http://www.simple-talk.com/sql/database-administration/handling-deadlocks-in-sql-server/

Laerte goes step-by-step through the process of tidying up and making more reusable an untidy collection of PowerShell routines, showing how pipelines and advanced functions can make PowerShell more effective in helping to automate many of the working DBA's chores...

Details: http://www.simple-talk.com/sql/sql-tools/the-posh-dba-grown-up-powershell-functions/

Because there is so little information on database continuous integration out in the wild, I've taken it upon myself.....

Details: http://www.simple-talk.com/community/blogs/david_atkinson/109443.aspx

So, one of our profilers has a problem. Red Gate produces two .NET profilers - ANTS Performance Profiler (APP) and.....

Details: http://www.simple-talk.com/community/blogs/simonc/109347.aspx

As well as running TSQL and PowerShell, the free SQL Scripts Manager tool can also run Python scripts. This allows even more sophisticated scripting possibilities for managing automated database tasks. ..

Details: http://www.simple-talk.com/sql/sql-tools/sql-scripts-manager-and-ironpython/

At RedGate Software, I work on a .NET obfuscator  called SmartAssembly.  Various features of it use a database to.....

Details: http://www.simple-talk.com/community/blogs/jcrease/109324.aspx

Today we're officially releasing version 1.0 of .NET Demon, the Visual Studio Extension Alex Davies and I have been.....

Details: http://www.simple-talk.com/community/blogs/theospears/109288.aspx

I came across ThreadLocal<T> while I was researching ConcurrentBag. To look at it, it doesn't really make much.....

Details: http://www.simple-talk.com/community/blogs/simonc/109321.aspx

In this excerpt from his new book, Practical Performance Profiling: Improving the Efficiency of .NET Code, Jean-Phillipe Gouigoux discusses the Dispose mechanism and the finalization process in the context of .NET Garbage Collection..

Details: http://www.simple-talk.com/dotnet/.net-framework/.net-memory-management-and-finalization/

Developers have long since had to context switch between two IDEs, Visual Studio for application code development.....

Details: http://www.simple-talk.com/community/blogs/david_atkinson/109274.aspx

An automated build and deployment system is no longer a dream. Now that PowerShell has matured as a product, and since the emergence of new tools such as Psake and Chocolatey, the ambition of the perfect build process has come nearer to reality. ..

Details: http://www.simple-talk.com/dotnet/.net-tools/towards-the-perfect-build/

It's the same old old problem you want to make a set of columns the same height but life it too short for the CSS.....

Details: http://www.simple-talk.com/community/blogs/richard/109273.aspx

A developer suggested to me recently that the life of the DBA was, surely, a dull one. My first reaction was.....

Details: http://www.simple-talk.com/community/blogs/tony_davis/109173.aspx

Testing a database upgrade script as part of a continuous integration process will only work if there is an easy way.....

Details: http://www.simple-talk.com/community/blogs/david_atkinson/109141.aspx