I want to ensure that my SQL Server on a VMware Guest OS is getting the resources it should. This would go a long way towards helping isolate the performance problems we're experiencing. However, our system administrators won't give us access to VirtualCenter or any of the tools they use. Is there anything I can do? Check out this tip to learn more.  Read more...

A list of the builds of SQL Server 2012 through CU#4.  Read more...

Day 3 was a pre-con on Business Intelligence.  Read more...

Many people that work for years with SQL Server never use the Data Mining. This article has the objective to introduce them to this magic and exciting new world.  Read more...

Day 2 brings some initial work and a weather forecast.  Read more...

Pivoting is a common reporting requirement - data is stored in columns and you need to present it in rows. This was a nice feature that was added to SQL Server, but you don't always know all of the values you need to pivot on. This tip looks at how you can dynamically create the pivot command to handle these unknown values.  Read more...

This article shows how you can read the [RowLog Contents] in the Transaction Log, for Real!  Read more...

Day 1 of Simon's journey to build an OLAP solution in a week.   Read more...

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Table partitioning is a blessing in that it makes large tables that have varying access patterns more scalable and manageable, but it is a mixed blessing. It is important to understand the down-side before using table partitioning.  Read more...

The OLAP Challenge at the PASS Summit. Read about the plan and preparations.  Read more...

Greg Larsen shows you how to install Data Quality Services and the companion client tool called Data Quality Client for SQL Server 2012.  Read more...

A DBA may consider switching a database to the BULK_LOGGED recovery model in the short term during, for example, bulk load operations. When a database is operating in the BULK_LOGGED model these, and a few other operations such as index rebuilds, can be minimally logged and will therefore use much less space in the log  Read more...

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This article shares some tips on using concatenation efficiently for application development, pointing out some things that we must consider and look at when concatenating values or fields in our queries or stored procedures.  Read more...

A free eBook from SQLServerCentral and Red Gate software can help you learn about the best hardware for your SQL Server instances.  Read more...

The Execute SQL Task of SSIS is extraordinarily useful, but it can cause a lot of difficulty for developers learning SSIS, or only using it occasionally. What it needed, we felt, was a clear step-by-step guide that showed the basics of how to use it effectively. Annette Allen has once again cleared the fog of confusion.   Read more...

in order to use the modify() method to delete data from typed and untyped XML instances, you must pass an XML DML expression as an argument to the method. That expression must include the delete keyword, along with an XQuery expression that defines the XML component to be deleted. Robert makes it seem simple, as usual.  Read more...