Let's be honest with each other.  We've all done it. Whether it was a late-night deployment script, a quick and dirty data load process, or a configuration change, we've all hardcoded a password in plain text.  It feels fast.  It gets the job done.  And in that moment, it feels harmless. But th...

How many times have you applied a configuration change and SQL Server restarted, even though nothing actually changed? Scripts run blindly Unnecessary downtime interrupts users You lose trust from the business because "maintenance" caused avoidable outages. Fragile scripts don't know the ...

In our last post, you learned how to stop writing brittle scripts by using Ansible Facts.  Your automation is now intelligent–it can discover a server's environment and adapt its actions accordingly.  It's a big step forward. But with that success comes a new, more complex challenge: scale. You...

Last week, we unlocked the "Golden Rule" of safe automation: idempotency.  You now know that a reliable playbook leaves your system in the desired state, regardless of how many times you run it.  That confidence allows you to do more than just report; it lets you change things safely. But what i...

Last week, you took a massive step. You built your first Ansible playbook, ran it, and saw for yourself that a different way of managing SQL Server is not only possible but within your reach. You had your first win as an Automation Architect. But with that first success comes a new, perfectly...

Last week, we talked about the two paths a DBA's career can take: the reactive, problem-fixing "Mechanic" and the proactive, system-designing "Architect."  You're here because you know the future is in building systems, not just fixing them. But the journey from Mechanic to Architect can feel da...

It's 10 PM.  An alert fires.  The production database is down.  You jump on, work your magic, and by 10:45 PM, you've saved the day.  You're the hero.   But what if being the hero is actually holding your career back? Let me introduce you to two career paths that are typical for DBAs: The SQ...

A few weekends back, I posted the question below on LinkedIn. "Quick question for DBAs and DBREs. Are most of you building out new SQL Server environments using group managed service accounts or still using standard service accounts with passwords?" Overwhelmingly, group-managed service acc...

Over the past several blog posts, I've been talking about patching.  More specifically, patching SQL Server Availability Groups using the rolling update method.  We defined the inventory file, tasks, and built supporting PowerShell scripts along the way.  But, I'd like to back up a bit.  Why woul...

The following information is based upon SQL Server 2025 CTP 2.1 and is subject to change upon release. Recently, I've been updating the Ansible playbooks and the mssql Ansible role to support SQL Server 2025.  This role and playbook are used throughout the Ansible for SQL Server DBAs course, and...