Encrypting SQL Server: Using an Encryption Hierarchy to Protect Column Data

SQL Server Encryption is an essential part of what is required for protecting data. Column-level encryption can be a very effective way of doing this. In the first in a series of articles on the theme of SQL Server Encryption, Robert Sheldon once more makes it all seem easy.

The Last Week for SQL Bits 2017 Discounts

This is the last week for a discounted registration to SQL Bits 2017. The price goes up after Mar 4, so register today.

Enumerate Windows Group Members

Here a quick script showing how to get all the Active Directory users in a AD group.

Using SQL SERVER and Cloud Hosted Databases with OBIEE 11g

If your organisation is committed to using Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition (OBIEE) 10g/11g /12c as their BI solution, you aren't thereby committed to using Oracle throughout your organisation. You can use a range of data sources including SQL Server, and save a great deal of money by doing so. Sadly, Oracle will only support the use of the venerable SQL Server 2008 R2. Zafar Ali demonstrates how to connect OBIEE to the world beyond Oracle.

Performance Surprises and Assumptions : GROUP BY vs. DISTINCT

Aaron Bertrand acknowledges that DISTINCT and GROUP BY are usually interchangeable, but shows there are cases where one performs better than the other.

Byte Me: Compilation Vacation

Questions About the Use of PowerShell That you were Too Shy to Ask

Let's forget the actual PowerShell code for a moment: Why is PowerShell important? Why should I use it? Where did it come from? Why did it take so long to arrive? These and many other basic questions are answered in William Brewer's latest addition to the series that answers those seemingly simple questions that you were too shy to ask in public.

How to Recover a SQL Server Login Password

I will describe a simple method anyone can use to obtain lost password information for a SQL Server login.

In Search of Elasticity

An Evaluation of the Azure SQL Database Ecosystem.

Getting Started with Azure SQL Data Warehouse - Part 1

As the demand for data analytics grows so does the need for a technology or platform to process large amounts of different types of data in timely manner. Azure SQL Data Warehouse is a new enterprise-class, elastic petabyte-scale, data warehouse service that can scale according to organizational demands in just a few minutes. Read on to learn more about this data warehouse-as-a-service offering from Microsoft.