Understanding Deadlock Victim Selection in SQL Server
A short introduction to how deadlocks work and how you can affect their behavior inside your system.
2026-05-01
2,591 reads
Articles
Net Present Value and Internal Rate of Return in SQL Server
Many organizations store cash-flow data inside SQL Server and decision-makers often need metrics like Net Present Value (NPV) and Internal Rate of Return (IRR) to evaluate those cash flows. Is it possible to calculate NPV and IIR values in SQL Server without the use of external tools?
2026-05-01
T-SQL Trigonometric Functions in SQL Server
Introduction SQL Server includes several built-in mathematical functions that allow developers to perform complex calculations directly within queries. Among these are trigonometric functions such as SIN(), COS(), and TAN(), which are useful in scenarios involving engineering calculations, geographic data processing, simulations, and analytics. Although these functions are straightforward to use, developers occasionally encounter unexpected results […]
2026-04-29
2,261 reads
How Multi-Column Statistics Work
The short answer: in the real world, only the first column works. When SQL Server needs data about the second column, it builds its own stats on that column instead (assuming they don’t already exist), and uses those two statistics together – but they’re not really correlated.
2026-04-29
T-SQL in SQL Server 2025: JSON_ARRAYAGG
Learn how the JSON_ARRAYAGG() function works in SQL Server 2025.
2026-04-27
4,025 reads
Microsoft On-Premises Data Gateway Administration
As a Microsoft Fabric Administrator, you have the responsibility to manage all the Microsoft Enterprise gateways installed and deployed across your entire data estate.
2026-04-27
Introducing the Relational Embedding Retrieval Pattern: Storing and Querying Vector Embeddings in SQL Server
Learn about using SQL Server to support AI-enhanced search queries with the Relational Embedding Retrieval Pattern (RERP).
2026-04-24
1,784 reads
Cross-database ownership chaining in SQL Server: security risks, behavior, and privilege escalation
A dangerous privilege-escalation path exists in SQL Server when cross-database ownership chaining, system database defaults, and overly permissive permissions are combined.
2026-04-24
Find SQL Server Agent Jobs that Start Other Jobs
A SQL Server Agent job can start other jobs. Writing jobs this way makes it easy to compartmentalize jobs: start a “child” job only when the “parent” reaches a certain step. Finding these steps can be challenging. There is no field or property in sysjobs or its associated tables to help find child jobs.
2026-04-22
What Power BI DirectQuery does to your SQL Server (and how to fix it)
Power BI DirectQuery can quietly overwhelm your SQL Server. Unlike Import mode, DirectQuery sends live T-SQL for every visual interaction, multiplying queries and placing heavy analytical load on the database. This article explains how to identify the worst offending DirectQuery queries, why the generated SQL is often inefficient, and what you can do from the database side, including indexing, Query Store, and reporting views, to improve performance. It also outlines practical changes on the Power BI side and when DirectQuery is simply the wrong architectural choice.
2026-04-20
3,921 reads
Blogs
SQL Server instance metadata inventory with PowerShell and SMO
By SQLPals
SQL Server instance metadata inventory with PowerShell and SMO The purpose...
5 SQL Tricks Worth Remembering Before You Close the Laptop
Disclosure: this post may contain links to books as an affiliate link. If you...
Claude Context Window
By Arun Sirpal
Every Claude conversation has a context window. It is the total amount of text...
Forums
Fuzzy String Matching in SQL Server 2025
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Representing Money
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Representing Money
Celebrating 30 years of PostgreSQL, A Thank you message
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Celebrating 30 years of PostgreSQL,...
Question of the Day
Representing Money
Which types of currency does the money data type represent?
See possible answers