A Microsoft SQL Server community of 1,900,190 DBAs, developers and SQL Server users

Erik Darling shows how missing index requests have different impact numbers depending on the query's join type.  Read more...

A basic introduction for developers about working with the DataSet object in ADO.Net to represent objects in a SQL Server database, and some of the options available.  Read more...

Remember when that old DBA told you not to SELECT *? Erik Darling explains why.  Read more...

If you’re using SQL Server’s Read Committed Snapshot Isolation level (RCSI) to avoid long waits for a blocked resource, then you’ll want to monitor for possible side effects. This article describes one way to monitor for such problems, using an alert on version_ghost_record_count, to warn us when the number of row versions in tempdb is getting very high.  Read more...

In this level we will look at ways of getting data into and out of SQL Server. We will specifically look at the Database object and a cmdlet Invoke-Sqlcmd or Invoke-SqlCmd2. To get data in, we are going to leverage a PowerShell script that uses SMO to put data into a predefined table in SQL Server.  Read more...

In this free eBook, Kalen Delaney explains how Microsoft's 2016 In-memory OLTP engine works. In her book, learn how to use lock- and latch-free data structures to allow non-blocking data processing, and find out how to migrate existing tables to Hekaton.  Read more...

Modifying data in Graph Database tables is similar to working with traditional tables, but there are several things to consider. Robert Sheldon explains how to insert, update, and delete rows of Graph Database tables and explains how to use several new helper functions.  Read more...

The latest issue of Redgate’s Database DevOps magazine explores the benefits of DevOps for CEOs, CIOs, and IT Managers, and takes a comprehensive look at the new General Data Protection Regulation, providing a valuable insight into how organizations can meet its demands.  Read more...

The business decides on a packaged application and buys it. After installation, you look at the schema and realize that is is a nightmare. How do you manage this nightmare?  Read more...

There are several ways to to anonymize / pseudonymize email addresses. This post discusses a few frequently used approaches, as well as how you can use Redgate Data Masker for SQL Server to achieve realistic masking of email columns.  Read more...

I use Extended Events almost exclusively for capturing query metrics. They are the most consistent and lowest cost mechanism for...  Read more...

If you’re starting to use cloud services, the number of options available can be confusing. Particularly when they may seem...  Read more...