Over the past few weeks, we've explored Ansible Vault, learning about its purpose and how it can be utilized.  You can create fully encrypted files and perform granular, inline encryption on single variables.  Your secrets, hopefully, are no longer stored in plain text. But there's still one man...

In our last post, you learned how to create a fully encrypted file with ansible-vault create.  This is the perfect solution for grouping a set of related secrets, like all the credentials for a new SQL Server build. But what happens when you don't need to lock down an entire file? Sometimes, yo...

Last week, we discussed the ticking time bomb of hardcoded passwords and why secure secrets management is a non-negotiable skill for DBAs.  We identified Ansible Vault as the right tool for the job, but theory only gets you so far. Today, we get our hands dirty. We're going to take our first st...

Let's be honest with each other.  We've all done it. Whether it was a late-night deployment script, a quick and dirty data load process, or a configuration change, we've all hardcoded a password in plain text.  It feels fast.  It gets the job done.  And in that moment, it feels harmless. But th...

How many times have you applied a configuration change and SQL Server restarted, even though nothing actually changed? Scripts run blindly Unnecessary downtime interrupts users You lose trust from the business because "maintenance" caused avoidable outages. Fragile scripts don't know the ...

In our last post, you learned how to stop writing brittle scripts by using Ansible Facts.  Your automation is now intelligent–it can discover a server's environment and adapt its actions accordingly.  It's a big step forward. But with that success comes a new, more complex challenge: scale. You...

Last week, we unlocked the "Golden Rule" of safe automation: idempotency.  You now know that a reliable playbook leaves your system in the desired state, regardless of how many times you run it.  That confidence allows you to do more than just report; it lets you change things safely. But what i...

Last week, you took a massive step. You built your first Ansible playbook, ran it, and saw for yourself that a different way of managing SQL Server is not only possible but within your reach. You had your first win as an Automation Architect. But with that first success comes a new, perfectly...

Last week, we talked about the two paths a DBA's career can take: the reactive, problem-fixing "Mechanic" and the proactive, system-designing "Architect."  You're here because you know the future is in building systems, not just fixing them. But the journey from Mechanic to Architect can feel da...

It's 10 PM.  An alert fires.  The production database is down.  You jump on, work your magic, and by 10:45 PM, you've saved the day.  You're the hero.   But what if being the hero is actually holding your career back? Let me introduce you to two career paths that are typical for DBAs: The SQ...