Microsoft SQL Server and historical versions, usage and notes

This is where it all began, September 1993, when I moved from Microsoft PSS to Microsoft Software Replication.

 

When I started Microsoft I had a dream. I had the hardware knowledge and people skills within me, yet I needed the software part. Why not work for Microsoft, the greatest upcoming software solution provider in the world? I committed to it; their Microsoft Product Support Services of the next greatest software company in the world. Yes, the pay was 20-30% below going market rates, yet the upside and scale of growth was immense. I did the math and took my chances knowing I could retire within 5 years if all goes well. Well, it did not take me long to figure out the growth game, be eaten or eat. 18 months in and after being highly abused as a proven high performer, I took on HR and demanded results and they replied with giving me what I needed. A real challenge with solid rewards.

 

My new job was systems and server administration of a facility that was producing $50M/hr in revenue. That was a great challenge, and once I figured out my space, I found out, the servers we used were OS/2, and the replication systems we had were Unix System V. Wow. Really?! Cool. Okay. Uncomfortable at best, yet we had a team and it was working and we are all committed to success. 

 

Yes, Microsoft software replication using other technologies to manufacture Microsoft software. That was no sin. It was a fact of life and manufacturing. It was not until Rimage Corporation came in with a Microsoft solution to software replication did the move from Trace Corporation's software for software replication get replaced. Still Unix System V is a strong platform for industrial needs of moving bits and bytes from one source to another.

 

How did I get to be where I was? Microsoft PSS was growing so fast that if you did not push pull or stand out you would be dismissed and walked over. I had 5 different supervisors in the 1st year whom all had their own agenda's and that did not involve helping me. All I was told was that I was not good enough and a low performer when in fact my numbers and customer satisfaction was the opposite. It was a huge fight from what I saw and I was getting dismissed yet used repeatedly as a high performer by those of the likes that had no other agenda than to improve their own position in the fast growing company.

 

Fast forward to 18 months in, I learned that Microsoft believed in goals and I said this to HR, you like goals so much, then get me out of here in 45 days so I can make a difference and get rewarded or I am gone. I was quickly moved from PSS to Microsoft Manufacturing where the operational needs were live. In the process, I moved from Microsoft Word support and Excel worksheets to operational 24/7/365 mission critical needs and SQL Server 4.21a was my friend along with C6 programming language. The rest was history.

 

In the following years forward, SQL Server was instrumental in my ability to help companies and business manage data and deliver reports, analysis and conclusions.

 

Here are the versions I held close to my chest and worked with other database technologies, there were core to my success.

 

 

SQL Server 4.21a

SQL Server 6

SQL Server 6.5

SQL Server 7.0

SQL Server 2000

SQL Server 2005

SQL Server 2008

SQL Server 2012

SQL Server 2014

SQL Server 2017

SQL Server 2019

SQL Server 2022

 

There were other database technologies like Oracle, MySQL, MS Access, and others yet nothing seemed more satisfying thatn MS SQL Server. Plus, the others had huge costs associated with them and/or a huge learning curve.

 

Where do we go from here? The future! It's just 1's and 0's and buckets of money.

 

more to come...