In my previous article we discussed Change Tracking which is one of the new technologies introduced by Microsoft. This article will focus on Change Data Capture.   Read more...

How can you tell when your SQL Server instance was last started? In this tip we look at various methods of how to get the start time for a SQL Server instance.  Read more...

Developers, by every natural instinct and training, strive to make their code reusable and generic. Dissuading them from doing so, in certain circumstances, is akin to trying to persuade a dog not to fetch a stick.  Read more...

SSRS 2008 R2 introduced lots of exciting new features, reviewed in a sister article to this one. Here we consider what Microsoft didn't do well in this version of Reporting Services.  Read more...

The 10 things Microsoft got right about SQL Server Reporting Services 2008 R2 (a sister article shows 10 things which aren't quite so good)  Read more...

The purpose of this article is to demonstrate a custom scripting framework which enables the management of SQLServer databases from a Windows PowerShell session and also to extend Powershell’s flexibility by creating a set of commands customized to our needs.  Read more...

Use Powershell to create a single script that checks over your server and every SQL instance on it to help pinpoint problems.  Read more...

Unless James Bond is in the picture, security is usually not a sexy topic. However, we all lament the lack...  Read more...

I spent this past weekend traveling to and attending SQL Saturday Colorado in the outskirts of Denver.  This was the...  Read more...

I’ve fielded a number of requests recently asking how to interrogate a file within SSIS and change the processing rules...  Read more...

How to set all tempdb datafiles to same size to meet best practice.   Read more...

Find the country, region and city of a user from an IP address using SQL Server. Oscar Garcia provides some code and resources if you want to dig into your analytics on your own.  Read more...

Use dynamic PivotTables to identify unused Stored Procedures in a SQL Server 2005/2008 database  Read more...

The concluding part of the Oracle / SQL Server comparison looks at error logging, security, installation and finally querying the databases.  Read more...

Part III of the Oracle / SQL Server comparison looks at the configuration options for each database, their storage options as well as the startup and shutdown procedures.   Read more...

I've been using the scripting tools in SSIS for some time, but I came across something today that I can't...  Read more...

Part II or the Oracle / SQL Server comparison dives deeper into databases by exploring the architectural differences.   Read more...

Part I of the Oracle / SQL Server comparison looks at the various editions of each database and their structure.  Read more...

Is Microsoft SQL Server superior to MySQL or not? What are the pros and cons of using SQL Server over MySQL? Is MySQL mature enough to compete with a big player like Microsoft and Oracle? Can we fairly compare both products?  Read more...

I saw someone post a question recently about running out of identity values in an INT column. It happens, it’s...  Read more...