Microsoft SQL Server

How many patches? Microsoft September patch release fixed roughly 972 vulnerabilities, including 112 rated critical, making it just as a record month for Microsoft security updates.

Includes two exploited zero days, notable issues in Exchange Server, SharePoint, SQL Server, Remote Desktop Services, Microsoft Authenticator, and more than 20 potentially wormable bugs.

The larger context is AI-assisted vulnerability discovery, which appears to be driving much of the higher patch volume across major vendors.

So the new normal? The new

many patches? Microsoft September patch release fixed roughly 972 vulnerabilities, including 112 rated critical, making it just as a record month for Microsoft security updates.

Includes two exploited zero days, notable issues in Exchange Server, SharePoint, SQL Server, Remote Desktop Services, Microsoft Authenticator, and more than 20 potentially wormable bugs.

The larger context is AI-assisted vulnerability discovery, which appears to be driving much of the higher patch volume across major vendors.

The new Linux

Next up, use containers for all local development resources as much as possible.

So for instance, I used to install SQL Server on my development machine.

I use it so often, I'm like, well, this is what you do.

You install it locally because I don't want to work across a network somehow.

And yes, you could use local DB or something like that, but it was just easy to install SQL Server.

I haven't done that in years.

Because I use containers.

I can spin up a SQL Server in minutes and have it running.

I say it to the kids that I coach.

I've probably written it on SQL Server Central, but it's something that I truly believe.

When you work at a job, some days are bad days.

There are always days where you don't want to do the work.

I've worked for myself and currently I have an amazing job as an advocate and architect with Redgate Software.

I get to travel all over the world.

I get to talk about AI readiness, DevOps, database change management, database intelligence, and of course, random SQL Server stuff.

I'm really grateful Redgate supports me in doing that last one.

How many patches? Microsoft September patch release fixed roughly 972 vulnerabilities, including 112 rated critical, making it just as a record month for Microsoft security updates.

Includes two exploited zero days, notable issues in Exchange Server, SharePoint, SQL Server, Remote Desktop Services, Microsoft Authenticator, and more than 20 potentially wormable bugs.

The larger context is AI-assisted vulnerability discovery, which appears to be driving much of the higher patch volume across major vendors.

So the new normal? The new

many patches? Microsoft September patch release fixed roughly 972 vulnerabilities, including 112 rated critical, making it just as a record month for Microsoft security updates.

Includes two exploited zero days, notable issues in Exchange Server, SharePoint, SQL Server, Remote Desktop Services, Microsoft Authenticator, and more than 20 potentially wormable bugs.

The larger context is AI-assisted vulnerability discovery, which appears to be driving much of the higher patch volume across major vendors.

The new Linux

And what the AI assistant does is it's able to see all of those entries, how they link together, see all the dependencies and all the ancillary services and everything that we describe in there, and then present the user with what they need to know or what they're asking about.

So rather than talking about all the aspects of SQL Server and all the variants and dependencies and everything else that goes on in there, if somebody's interested in the database engine, it tells them just about that, and it goes across all the content on it.

So as long as we keep all these entries up to date, which we do every month, and we show what's changed over time, then the AI assistant, thanks to Barry's mad scientist activities, it can go along and assimilate all those changes and provide the answers.

Okay,

So what is happening? And so I investigated that and I realized that, uh, uh, that, um, a lot of data leaders and, you know, chief data officers, VP datas, directors and so on and so forth- They focus a lot on technology.

You know, you see a, a new VP of data or new CDO coming in, and the first thing they do is migrate everything from SQL Server to Databricks, uh, or to Snowflake, and then guess what? If the project is successful, and that's a big if, then two years later you basically have the same thing just running on a different platform, right? So I try to figure out why, why, why, what do they focus on? They focus a lot on technology, not just on technology, but they focus a lot on technology.

And I ask myself, "Okay, what do they need to focus on?" And I've mapped out three, three things that I call them the three ingredients of data, which is people, process, and culture.

Um, people is basically, uh, is several things, is obviously people and team and, and, and building the right teams, but also, uh, who are my sponsors in the organization, and who are the people who actually care about what, you know, about data and what we do, but also who are the champions and who are the people I can work with in the different departments and across the organization, and obviously data leader- literacy and education.