Hands-On with Columnstore Indexes: Part 4 Query Patterns
All queries run fast against columnstore indexes, right? In this article, Edward Pollack demonstrates some query patterns that don’t perform well and how to get around the issues.
2020-09-24
Articles
Why you Should Embed Monitoring Earlier in Your Database DevOps Cycle
With insights from a recent Gartner report, Redgate’s Jamie Wallis looks at the benefits of tracking, and acting on, key metrics early in the DevOps process and how they can apply equally to database monitoring. Read more.
2020-09-24
Managing Azure Blueprints with PowerShell
Learn about the Azure PowerShell cmdlet for Azure Blueprints in Azure Resource Manager framework and how to export, import, publish, and assign Azure Blueprints with PowerShell cmdlets.
2020-09-23
Dear Past Me on My First Day as a DBA
A letter to a past self from Pamela Mooney that might help a more junior DBA get up to speed quicker.
2020-09-22
3,101 reads
Data Masker with SQL Data Catalog Integration Automates Data Protection Process
Data Masker for SQL Server now integrates with SQL Data Catalog (seamlessly with our new GUI) to let you fully automate your data privacy and protection process, from data classification through to masking.
2020-09-22
Explaining SQL Server Statistics with Playing Cards
When you run a query, how does SQL Server estimate the number of rows? I’ll explain in this half-hour video demo using playing cards, then showing the same issues in SQL Server Management Studio.
2020-09-22
2020-09-21 (first published: 2020-08-25)
2,664 reads
Understanding SQL Server Recovery Models
The database recovery model controls how a SQL Server database can be backed up and restored. In this article, Greg Larsen explains the three recovery models and what to think about when choosing a recovery model for a database.
2020-09-21
Why you should embed monitoring earlier in your Database DevOps cycle
With insights from a recent Gartner report, Redgate’s Jamie Wallis looks at the benefits of tracking, and acting on, key metrics early in the DevOps process and how they can apply equally to database monitoring.
2020-09-21
SQL Server on Amazon RDS vs SQL Server on Amazon EC2
Exploring briefly the difference between using Amazon Machine Images running SQL Server and using SQL Server instances on Amazon's Relational Database Service.
2020-09-18 (first published: 2018-04-12)
19,978 reads
Blogs
How to Clear the SSMS Cache (SSMS 21 and Later)
By SQLPals
How to Clear the SSMS Cache (SSMS 21 and Later) Updated...
The flight recorder: Replaying what an AI agent did on my SQL Server
By Arun Sirpal
“What exactly did it do on my server?” is the first question a DBA...
Announcements from the Microsoft Fabric Community Conference — Barcelona 2026
By James Serra
Microsoft shared a broad set of Fabric, Power BI, and SQL updates at FabCon...
Forums
Let's Talk Certifications
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Let's Talk Certifications
The Hidden Security Risks of Role Combination in SSAS Tabular
Comments posted to this topic are about the item The Hidden Security Risks of...
The Empty Aggregate
Comments posted to this topic are about the item The Empty Aggregate
Question of the Day
The Empty Aggregate
I have this table in a SQL Server 2025 database:
CREATE TABLE [dbo].[CustomerOrder] ( [OrderID] [int] NULL, [CustomerID] [int] NULL, [total] [money] NULL ) ON [PRIMARY] GOWhat is returned from this code? (answers are for the sum and then the count)
SELECT SUM(total) AS sum,
COUNT(total) AS count
FROM dbo.CustomerOrder;
See possible answers