A Freecon Halloween at the PASS Summit
If you're attending the PASS Summit in 2017, there's a Freecon day on Tuesday you can attend.
2017-10-24 (first published: 2017-10-13)
1,379 reads
Articles
DBAs and the ITIL Framework
Most IT departments are moving toward ITIL-aligned practices. Gain a general understanding of the ITIL framework and how Database Administrators can take advantage of it.
2017-10-24 (first published: 2015-10-26)
10,837 reads
Parameter Sniffing In Action
This article will demonstrate what is parameter sniffing and how can it can kill performance
2017-10-24
2,134 reads
How to determine SQL Server database transaction log usage
One crucial aspect of all databases is the transaction log. The transaction log is used to write all transactions prior to committing the data to the data file. In some circumstances the transaction logs can get quite large and not knowing what is in the transaction log or how much space is being used can become a problem. So how to you determine how much of the transaction log is being used and what portions are being used?
2017-10-24
4,163 reads
9 New Features with SQL Server 2017
Microsoft has added a ton of new features in SQL Server 2017, including expanded operating system support, Graph database capability, Python support, and more. Join Greg Larsen as he explores nine of these new features.
2017-10-23
5,498 reads
A Tale of Partition Schemes and Disappearing Dragons
A tale in which is detailed how I used SWITCH PARTITION to efficiently load my data and save myself from the flaming jaws of death.
2017-10-20 (first published: 2015-11-02)
4,341 reads
Overview of Azure Data Lake
Azure Data Lake stores petabytes of data and analyzes trillions of objects in one place with no constraints. Data Lake Store can store any type of data including massive data like high-resolution video, medical data, and data from a wide variety of industries. Data Lake Store scales throughput to support any size of analytic workload with low latency. Read on to learn more.
2017-10-20
3,483 reads
Simple SQL: Random Thoughts
How does one get a truly random sample of data of a certain size from a SQL Server database table. Well, there are simple non-portable tricks one can use, such as the NewID() function, but then refining those can be tricky. Take the Rand() function for a start. Can it really provide you with a truly random number? Why doesn't the TABLESAMPLE clause give you a set number of rows? Joe Celko scratches his head a bit, explains some of the issues and invites some suggestions and tricks from readers.
2017-10-19
3,623 reads
SQL Server AlwaysOn Availability Groups Using an Azure Template
There is already a template on the Azure marketplace for setting up an AlwaysOn Availability Group. In just a few easy steps you can get a working AlwaysOn Availability Group setup, configured and running - this post describes the steps to quickly set it up.
2017-10-18
3,292 reads
Key Lookups and ColumnStore Indexes
Erik figures out why SQL Server really doesn't like combining these two things in a query plan.
2017-10-17
3,790 reads
Blogs
A New Word: Dolorblindness
By Steve Jones
dolorblindness – n. the frustration that you’ll never be able to understand another person’s...
Claude Code Helps Analyze Test Data Manager Log Files
By Steve Jones
I had a customer ask about analyzing their Test Data Manager (TDM) usage to...
PowerPoint to HTML with Claude AI
By Steve Jones
I had an idea for an animated view of a sales tool, and started...
Forums
Optimism Without Illusion or Why AI Needs Blunt Technologists
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Optimism Without Illusion or Why...
SSIS with VS2022 64/32 issue with Excel files
Hi all, I'm trying to do classic scenario for loading multiple Excel files into...
Case part is sloooooow
Hi So the case statement is slowing this down - but for the life...
Question of the Day
The String Distance I
In SQL Server 2025, what is returned by this code:
SELECT EDIT_DISTANCE('tim', 'tom')
Assume preview features are enabled. See possible answers