Pearl Knowledge Solutions - Industry Leader
Testimonials
A few years back the company I worked for contracted Robert to help us establish a process to baseline
and monitor our servers. During this time Robert became our go-to person to escalate issues that the
team simply didn’t have the experience or knowledge to handle. Having a resource like Robert helped
the DBA team grow, and having access to historical trending data of the environment aided the team in
noticing trends and patterns of how the systems were being used as well as gave them the ability to see
what was going on with the server hours or days past when a user noticed a decrease in performance.
“Having these continual health checks being performed allowed a very small team to be much more
proactive, enabled us to quickly find servers with configuration settings outside of the normal baseline,
and, more importantly, provided us with solid data to help us prove or disprove that there was a
problem with the database server.
— Tim Radney
SQL Server MVP, author, SQLSkills
Every DBA wants a checklist on what to look for when trying to determine the state of affairs on their
servers. Not only is a checklist one of those sought-after things, but how to use that checklist and how to
check the “health” of the server. With this book by Robert Pearl, we now have ready-made access to
these essential tools. Robert guides you through how to perform a health check, how to baseline your
server health, how to routinely compare current health to that baseline, and how to report on the
server health. This book is a great resource to have on the bookshelf and in your tool belt.
— Jason Brimhall
SQL Server MVP/MCM, author, speaker
I have worked with Robert Pearl on several projects and envied his ability to perform health checks and
assessments. He is well known in the industry for his performance monitoring, assessment, and health
check tools for SQL Server. In this book he dives into SQL Server internals and monitoring and provides
readers with a solid foundation to perform health checks on the SQL Servers they manage. This resource
is sure to be a valuable companion to both novice and seasoned DBAs.
— Hilary Cotter
SQL MVP, speaker, author, SQL replication industry expert
I’ve known of Robert Pearl, his great experience as a DBA, his scripts, and his work within the SQL
community for quite some time. From his work on different forums and advice, I’ve always thought very
highly of him and his technical abilities. Recently, I’ve also had the pleasure of working with Robert in a
DBA capacity. Let me assure you that my impressions were not only well founded but have been
expanded. I have watched Robert troubleshoot critical outages, researched issues with him, and reached
out for help and found a talented ally in the fight against SQL misuses and misconfigurations, in
troubleshooting, and in performance tuning. As a new MVP, I’ve also been able to see Robert in action,
in the way only a few lucky others ever have. Robert is a top-notch DBA and a SQL Server expert, and we
are all better for having read the words he has written!
— Bradley Ball
SQL Server MVP, trainer, speaker, data platform management lead and PM at Pragmatic Works
Robert Pearl is a Microsoft MVP and a first-class DBA. His new book, Healthy SQL, provides a holistic
approach to maintaining a well-functioning, stable, and healthy SQL environment for enterprises of any
size.
— Michael Coles
aka Sergeant SQL, former SQL Server MVP, speaker, author, XML guru, BI expert
Robert Pearl is an excellent technologist and expert in Microsoft SQL Server. Having worked with him
on improving the performance of an existing SQL Server installation, I know he brings experience and
insight to every project. The analyses and procedures he outlines in this book are indispensable to those
tasked with the day-to-day management of SQL Server or managers who wish to understand more
about the daily duties and maintenance tasks required of a Microsoft SQL Server administrator. If you
want to learn how to reduce downtime of your SQL Server by implementing an ongoing management
and monitoring program, buy this book.
— Brad Irby
.NET architect, speaker, and author of Reengineering.NET
“In the world of the DBA, system DBAs come and go. The longevity of the priceless DBA stems from
knowing and liking to work nights, weekends, and holidays as well as the normal daily grind. Robert is a
system DBA who has outstanding knowledge of SQL Server. This book is the result of Robert’s dedication
to that knowledge from the early days of SQL Server to the present. Robert has the ability to break down
seemingly complex issues into interesting tidbits of solid information. This helps the readers apply that
information to their own situations. Robert has dedicated his career to learning the ins and outs of SQL
Server and its interaction with the Windows operating system.
— Chuck Kelley
enterprise data architect and data warehousing pioneer
“As an experienced database administrator and architect (and a reader and author of SQL Server
books), I have learned that a good approach for a book is to more focused on the book’s subject matter.
This is where I commend my fellow professional and SQL Server MVP Robert Pearl, industry expert, and
his new book, Healthy SQL: A Comprehensive Guide to Healthy SQL Server Performance. Instead of
delving into every aspect of performance tuning and monitoring, the book emphasizes a rigorous
routine of data platform health check procedures. “You are in good hands because Rob is an
accomplished SQL Server professional with practical experience to share. I have known him personally
for the last ten years, and his work in the SQL Server community is commendable as someone who
spends great deal of time helping users and fellow professionals. I congratulate Robert Pearl for this big
venture in the world of authoring.
— Satya Shyam K. Jayanty
aka SQL Master, SME, SQL MVP, author, speaker
HEALTHYSQL BOOK REVIEW:
Excellent, detailed book on SQL Optimization. I've been a SQL developer for many years and was
able to pick up several tips on how to manage my servers more effectively. I recommend this to all MS SQL DBAs.
Good tips on server management
— Brad Irby
HEALTHYSQL BOOK REVIEW: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Must read for all SQL DBAs
Reviewed in the United States on August 2, 2017
Verified Purchase
An excellent read. Recommended for any DBA. This guy knows his stuff!
— Jon
HEALTHYSQL BOOK REVIEW: 5.0 out of 5 stars
The book’s intended audience includes both junior and seasoned SQL Server DBAs: they will
appreciate it for the hands-on approach as well as for the valuable scripts and tools … they will
easily incorporate in their toolboxes..
— Alberto Bolchini
Computing Reviews, computingreviews.com
From the Foreword of HealthySQL:
Maintaining a healthy SQL Server database system can seem deceptively simple at times. Once the software
is installed, it seems as though the server might just manage itself for a significant period of time. However,
many times problems lie just out of sight of the users, waiting for another row of data or one additional user
to tip the response time from acceptable to problematic...
Many of these problems could be prevented, or mitigated, if the people in charge of SQL Server had gathered more information and performed preventative maintenance to ensure a healthy SQL Server. That has been the aim of Robert Pearl for most of his career, and he has compiled his extensive knowledge into this book based on Robert’s extensive time with large financial institutions and his experience from the 9/11 disaster in New York City.
[HealthySQL] contains much of what you need to learn to maintain a well-running SQL Server. Whether you are a dedicated database professional or an accidental DBA, you can benefit from the wealth of information contained in this book. I hope you will treat the concepts discussed here and the scripts provided as the valuable tools they are for your SQL Servers.
Many of these problems could be prevented, or mitigated, if the people in charge of SQL Server had gathered more information and performed preventative maintenance to ensure a healthy SQL Server. That has been the aim of Robert Pearl for most of his career, and he has compiled his extensive knowledge into this book based on Robert’s extensive time with large financial institutions and his experience from the 9/11 disaster in New York City.
[HealthySQL] contains much of what you need to learn to maintain a well-running SQL Server. Whether you are a dedicated database professional or an accidental DBA, you can benefit from the wealth of information contained in this book. I hope you will treat the concepts discussed here and the scripts provided as the valuable tools they are for your SQL Servers.
— Steve Jones
Editor, SQL Server Central, MVP Advocate/DevOps Evangelist – Redgate Software Tech Editor & Reviewer (HealthySQL)
