Articles

External Article

150 SQL Code Smells

Some time ago, Phil Factor wrote his booklet 'SQL Code Smells', collecting together a whole range of SQL Coding practices that could be considered to indicate the need for a review of the code. It was published as 119 code smells, even though there were 120 of them at the time. Phil Factor has continued to collect them and the current state of the art is reflected in this article. SQL Prompt is committed to cover as many as possible of them. Phil has also updated his book, which is free to download.

2018-05-03

5,999 reads

External Article

Introduction to Azure SQL Managed Instance

Microsoft currently offers two built-in methods of running production SQL Server databases in Azure. The first relies on the ability of Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) Azure virtual machines to host a variety of on-premises workloads, including SQL Server instances. The second one leverages Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS)-based Azure SQL Database. With the introduction of the Azure SQL Managed Instance service, you have a third option, which combines the benefits of its two predecessors.

2018-05-01

3,285 reads

External Article

Execution Plans and Data Protection

One of the most important tools for query tuning is ability to view execution plans. They are even portable; you can send an execution plan to get advice from someone who doesn't have access to the underlying data. Have you even considered that sensitive information might travel along with the plans? Hugo Kornelis explains how execution plans affect data protection.

2018-04-30

3,411 reads

External Article

SQL Server Closure Tables

SQL Server has a couple of different ways to represent hierarchies, but they do not allow storing any additional information that is important to the relationship between objects. In this article, Phil Factor explains how to use closure tables to overcome this deficiency.

2018-04-27

3,926 reads

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Backup to Immutable Storage

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Microsoft Security Changes and SQL Server

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Expanding into Print

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Backup to Immutable Storage

In SQL Server 2025, a backup can be made on Azure Immutable Storage. What changes in how the backup is created?

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