SQL Server Celebrating Its 10th Anniversary

We're getting ready to throw a birthday party, and you've invited! We won't be serving cake and ice cream, but we'll be sharing plenty of "remember when" stories, and we need your help. Who's the birthday bash for? SQL Server.

December marks the 10th anniversary of SQL Server's beta release on the Windows platform. Microsoft has planned birthday celebrations starting in December and ending when the beta 1 version of the next SQL Server release—code-named Yukon—appears sometime next year. In addition, SQL Server Magazine will honor the event in its December issue, and I'll be writing several SQL Server Magazine UPDATE columns that recall the days when SQL Server wasn't quite the enterprise-level database that it is today.

Here's where you come in. Send me your recollections of SQL Server from years past. Have fun, be creative. How about compiling a list of "you know you've been working with SQL Server for a long time if..." anecdotes? Does "disk init" ring a bell? Remember references to Ashton Tate in product literature? Were you the coolest DBA because you knew how to tune the mysterious "hash buckets" setting? Send me fun facts, war stories, and goofy workarounds that you remember about SQL Server's early days. I'll select the most interesting memories for a feature article that I'm writing about this topic, and I'll share tidbits from the best submissions in SQL Server Magazine UPDATE. The best entry will receive a nifty prize. Email your entries to [email protected] by November 15. Include "10th Anniversary" in the subject line.

SQL Server has come a long way over the past 10 years. Microsoft and the SQL Server team deserve recognition for the enormous strides they've made in developing the product into a powerhouse. I missed the OS/2 days, but I've been lucky enough to work with the product since its appearance on the Windows platform. It's been a great ride, and I look forward to another 10 years as a SQL Server professional.