Articles by Michael Lockwood (Article: 1)

I was first introduced to Microsoft data technologies while earning my bachelor's degree at DeVry University. I discovered that I could use Microsoft Access to manage my own data and develop reports and interfaces all within a single application and file, not knowing then that this marked the beginning of what would become my career in IT focused on tackling real-world challenges involving data. Soon after working as a Microsoft Access Developer, I ran into Access' 1 GB file size limitation. Times have changed. It was then that I performed my first series of data migrations from Microsoft Access 2000 to Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 using Microsoft's first release of Data Transformation Services (DTS).

I enjoy writing SQL code, creating, and continuing to learn all there is to know about Microsoft SQL Server and its features. I also explore a short list of other NoSQL platforms, including MongoDB, Hadoop, and DocumentDB. I am fascinated with database management systems and data visualization technologies, and I continue striving to master the disciplines. I'm also a lifelong reader of and subscriber to SQL Server Magazine, which is now sqlmag.com. I remain inspired by the technology experts that I've learned from over the years.

I enjoy being challenged to think critically about matters of database architecture, performance, availability, scalability, and reliability – key tenets of sound database management. I've extended these challenges to application development with a renewed interest beginning with the introduction of .NET Core. My career objective is full stack software development. So, thanks to many that create courses on Pluralsight and authors of the many books I read, I've learned to build REST and OData web services, ASP.NET Core web applications, and ASP.NET MVC 5 web applications. I've also learned Entity Framework, ASP.NET Identity, and D3js. Add all of this to my proficiency with SQL Server, Azure SQL, Integration Services and Reporting Services.