SQL Server and NULL Values, Revisited Aaron Alton takes a good look at NULL values and makes reference to post on the same topic. They both provide good information and well-founded opinions on NULLs and their place in the database.

Does a GUID make a good clustered key? This is a subject that is near and dear to my heart and if you’re ever within earshot of me, please don’t mention that you use GUIDs for your clustered indexes. This is a much more well thought out argument than mine usually are, and I will memorize it for the next time I hear that horrible phrase “I’m using a GUID as a clustered index…”

Development

Patterns And Practices Application Architecture Guide 2.0, Something Everyone Should Read The new Patterns and Practices architecture guide is out. Get it while it’s hot! This document covers architectural best practices to help minimize costs and maintenance.

MacRuby 0.4 Mac Ruby 0.4 has been released with a slew of new features. If you’re a ruby developer and you’re also a Mac user, this is definitely something you should look into. This is Ruby that runs along side the Cocoa/Objective-C framework, natively, on your Mac. Good times!

Stuff & Things

Drinking Games: Upgrade Conference Call Edition Ever spend too much time on a conference call during an upgrade? Brent Ozar provides a humorous take on these seemingly ubiquitous phone calls. Read this and laugh to yourself the next time you’re up at 3 in the morning with 5 or 6 other grumpy, tired, people.

New emoticons for the skull spring formal There is no explanation for this.

Sorry about the lack of links last week, I had a fever or flu or sinus infection or something, but it made it difficult to concentrate very well and do anything apart from complain about being sick.