Siddharth Mehta looks at how and why to use Sankey charts and how this can be done in Power BI Desktop.  Read more...

In memory of Robert Davis.  Read more...

Titles are very important to many people. Steve wonders if the main title many of us use will go away.  Read more...

In this level, we make a large leap forward, showing you how to use BIML to script a large number of packages using C#.  Read more...

This free eBook from Redgate Software will take you from the fundamentals of Statistics, Cost Estimation, Index Selection, and the Execution Engine, and guide you through the inner workings of the Query Optimization process, and throws in a pragmatic look at Parameterization and Hints along the way.  Read more...

Azure Cosmos DB offers features that facilitate data availability and resiliency. However, there is also a different, very important aspect of facilitating access to distributed data sources in the most optimal manner, which focuses on access control mechanisms. Read on to learn the specifics of this aspect, as it applies to Azure Cosmos DB.  Read more...

What pattern is better for importing data? Steve discusses.  Read more...

The various Snapshot options in Reporting Services 2016 explained.  Read more...

T-SQL does not have an easy way to transpose a row and a column. Of course, there is the PIVOT statement, but it doesn’t quite accomplish the task. In this article, Darko Martinovic shares another method using a SQLCLR stored prodedure.  Read more...

Help Redgate to learn more about how SQL Server teams keep on top of sensitive data. If you're planning, or are already implementing, an information audit or data-mapping exercise for your SQL Server estate, please complete their short survey.  Read more...

Today we have a guest editorial from Andy Galbraith that looks at the ways in which he has helped others in his career.  Read more...

Using SELECT to store values into variables is an important technique, but you need to know some of the gotchas as well.  Read more...

Microsoft reorganizes their divisions again.  Read more...

When you’re planning for disaster recovery, offsite backups in the cloud are an attractive option. SQL Server Management Studio makes it easy to back up to the cloud inside the GUI, and you can learn how in just 90 seconds.  Read more...

This article shows how to use the SQL Prompt actions that you can apply as part of the Format SQL command. These actions are designed to help improve the overall quality of your SQL code, in various subtle but meaningful ways, such as qualifying object names, standardizing the use of aliases, adding semicolons to the end of statements, and removing unnecessary square brackets around object names.  Read more...

A step-by-step guide to creating a practice setup for the 70-462 exam using Azure virtual machines.  Read more...

AD Authentication in SQL Server has been around for a long time, so why do we still use SQL Authentication?  Read more...

Tara Kizer explains that many of you are troubleshooting Parameter Sniffing issues the wrong way in production. In this three-part series, she will show you how to troubleshoot it the right way.  Read more...

SELECT…INTO is a good way of making a table-source temporarily persistent as part of a process, if you don’t care about constraints, indexes or special columns.  Read more...

A short tutorial on scripting objects in SSMS.  Read more...