Create and Connect to an Azure SQL Database

Demonstration on how to create and connect to a Microsoft Azure SQL Database with Microsoft Management Studio (SSMS) and Powershell

Inside the SQL Server Query Optimizer

This book will take you from the fundamentals of Statistics, Cost Estimation, Index Selection, and the Execution Engine, and guide you through the inner workings of the Query Optimization process, and throws in a pragmatic look at Parameterization and Hints along the way.

Estimated Number of Rows to be Read

Rob Farley uses this month's T-SQL Tuesday to show off the results of one of his Connect items : Estimated Number of Rows to be Read.

Performance of the SQL MERGE vs. INSERT/UPDATE

The SQL MERGE statement offers convenience, safety and elegance, but how does it perform compared to other methods?

PowerShell Invoke-SQLCmd outputs DataTables you can INSERT into SQL Server

Aaron Nelson explains how you can take an existing SQL query, run it against a SQL Server and then take the results and save them to a different SQL Server without using Linked Servers.

Preferred Node Policy-Setting on Traditional SQL Cluster

Preferred node setting facilitates instances on traditional cluster to be on the correct nodes which will lead to load-balancing of the resources.

SQL Server Execution Plans, Second Edition by Grant Fritchey

Every Database Administrator, developer, report writer, and anyone else who writes T-SQL to access SQL Server data, must understand how to read and interpret execution plans. This book leads you right from the basics of capturing plans, through how to interrupt them in their various forms, graphical or XML, and then how to use the information you find there to diagnose the most common causes of poor query performance, and so optimize your SQL queries, and improve your indexing strategy.

Using A Block Predicate to Restrict Row Updates and Inserts

If you are using row level security in SQL Server 2016 you might find users are updating or inserting rows of data that keep them from seeing the row after they have performed the update or insert statement. If you want to prevent this from occurring, you can use a blocking predicate.

Byte Me: Avoiding Detection

Introducing Minion CheckDB by MinionWare

Minion CheckDB completes the MinionWare maintenance and backups suite in style. Each solution is plug-and-play for the busy DBA, and deeply configurable for those shops with in-depth needs.