Derek Colley
Derek Colley is the lead technical consultant for Optimal Computing (http://www.optimalcomputing.co.uk), a boutique data consultancy based in the UK NW helping clients troubleshoot, configure, plan and deploy their data platforms. He specialises in data integration and database performance optimisation, and is a PhD candidate with Staffordshire University, looking into methods of integrating artificially-intelligent query selection algorithms with the cost-based query optimiser.
In his spare time he enjoys building robots, going outdoors and spending time with his four children.
2017 Awards
Amazon AWS
- Importing Data from AWS DynamoDB into SQL Server 2017 (last update: 7/30/2018)
Application Development
- Data Entry for SQL Server - building quick, efficient data input forms using InfoPath (last update: 4/11/2016)
Availability Groups
- Configuring Alerts for SQL Server AlwaysOn Availability Groups (last update: 6/11/2013)
Azure
- Automatically Create and Anonymize Downstream Databases from Azure DB (last update: 11/5/2018)
- Configuring SQL Server Endpoint and ACL Access in Windows Azure (last update: 6/14/2016)
- What's in a DTU? Choosing the right resource model and service tier for Azure DB (last update: 7/11/2018)
Big Data
- Compare Big Data Platforms vs SQL Server (last update: 8/29/2013)
Compression
- Demonstrating the Effects of Using Data Compression in SQL Server (last update: 3/12/2014)
Database Design
- Remodel Poorly Designed SQL Server Database Tables (last update: 5/11/2016)
Disaster Recovery
- Troubleshooting and Fixing SQL Server Page Level Corruption (last update: 2/7/2013)
Dynamic SQL
- Creating Dynamic T-SQL to Move a SQL Server Database (last update: 7/31/2013)
Encryption
- Encrypting and Decrypting SQL Server Stored Procedures, Views and User-Defined Functions (last update: 5/30/2013)
Functions - System
- Different ways to get random data for SQL Server data sampling (last update: 1/29/2014)
- Forgotten SQL Server Functions - VARP, SOUNDEX and NTILE (last update: 3/29/2013)
Functions - User Defined UDF
- Implementing Luhn's Algorithm in T-SQL to validate credit card numbers (last update: 8/27/2014)
Install and Uninstall
- Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Service Pack 1 Summary (last update: 5/20/2013)
JOIN Tables
- SQL Server JOIN Hints (last update: 4/2/2013)
Licensing
- Understanding the SQL Server 2012 Licensing Model (last update: 4/24/2013)
Locking and Blocking
- Demonstrations of Transaction Isolation Levels in SQL Server (last update: 6/18/2013)
- Explanation of SQL Server IO and Latches (last update: 10/30/2013)
Performance Tuning
- Techniques For Improving SQL Query Performance - Indexing, Parameterization and Partitioning (last update: 8/22/2013)
- Troubleshooting Excess Compilations in SQL Server Using the Plan Cache and PowerShell (last update: 7/18/2013)
Replication
- Troubleshooting SQL Server Replication (last update: 1/22/2013)
Scripts
- Accessing OLE and COM Objects from SQL Server using OLE Automation Stored Procedures (last update: 8/21/2014)
Security
- Storing passwords in SQL Server – things to know to keep the data secure (last update: 4/25/2016)
SQL Server 2016
- SQL Server Data Access Using R – Part 1 (last update: 5/22/2017)
- SQL Server Data Access Using R – Part 2 (last update: 5/30/2017)
- SQL Server Data Access Using R – Part 3 (last update: 6/28/2017)
SQL Server 2017
- Predicting Customer Spend with a Neural Network using R and SQL Server (last update: 1/16/2019)
SQL Server Agent
- Run Python Scripts in SQL Server Agent (last update: 1/30/2019)
Testing
- Avoiding SQL Server Query Disaster through Refactoring for Resilience (last update: 2/12/2013)
- Standardizing SQL Server CRUD Templates with Rollback Plans (last update: 1/3/2013)
