Well, we're just back from vacation (photo blog post to follow) and I've heard that the feature article on Effective Database Maintenance I wrote for the August issue of TechNet Magazine is live on the web. It also includes a 5 minute long screencast I recorded where I demo the effect of database shrink on index fragmentation.

You can get to the article at http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/cc671165.aspx. The topics covered are:

• Managing data and transaction log files
• Eliminating index fragmentation
• Ensuring accurate, up-to-date statistics
• Detected corrupted database pages
• Establishing an effective backup strategy

It's written around 2-300 level and presents a good overview (well, at least I think so ) of the concepts involved.

Also, the August SQL Q&A column is available at http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/cc671180(TechNet.10).aspx. This month's topics on the web (more in the print magazine) are:

• Database version changes with upgrades
• Benefits of partitioning
• Consistency checking options for VLDBs

Enjoy!