The Data-lake is basically a large repository of data for 'big data' analytic workloads, held in its original format. The Azure Data Lake adds Data Lake Analytics, and Azure HDInsight. Although the tools are there for Big Data Analysis, it will require new skills to use, and a heightened attention to Data Governance if it is to appeal to the average enterprise. Rob Sheldon takes a look.
2015-12-21
3,485 reads
Cursors are considered by many to be the bane of good T-SQL. What are the best ways to avoid iterative T-SQL and to write queries that look and perform beautifully? This first part in an ongoing series of cursor-killing handles inter-row analysis.
2015-12-18 (first published: 2014-05-27)
22,680 reads
You make an example database, like NorthWind or WidgetDev in order to test out your deployment system and the next thing you know you're worrying about constraints, backup and security. Then you add an index to the production system and feel a pang of guilt. What would the Devs say? Somehow databases take on lives of their own, populated by the lost souls of users, Developers and DBAs. Has the Redgate DLM Team's practice Forex database somehow come alive?
2015-12-18
3,479 reads
Execute these stored procedures to backup all your database daily and your transaction logs several time daily. Save space by using the overwrite feature.
2015-12-17
5,152 reads
Aaron Bertrand takes a look at the changes in store for In-Memory OLTP (the feature formerly known as "Hekaton").
2015-12-17
5,473 reads
A new article that shows how you can automate a basic function that many environments need: the backup of a production database and the restore on a development system.
2015-12-16 (first published: 2010-10-05)
16,211 reads
2015-12-16
405 reads
Understanding backup and restore processes is essential for developers and DBAs to be more confident when dealing with uncommon situations and having the ability to suggest flexible solutions related to these processes. In this article, Sergey Gigoyan answers some key questions relating to backup and restore.
2015-12-16
3,341 reads
In SQL, you can express the logic of what you want to accomplish without spelling out the details of how the database should do it. Nowhere is this more powerful than in constraints. In this introduction to Declarative SQL, Joe Celko demonstrates how you can write portable code that performs well and executes some complex logic, merely by creating unique constraints.
2015-12-15
6,149 reads
With the introduction of SQL Server 2016 you now have a new way to encrypt columns called Always Encrypted. With Always Encrypted, data is encrypted at the application layer via ADO.NET. This means you can encrypt your confidential data with your .NET application prior to the data being sent across the network to SQL Server. In this article, Greg Larson explains his experience with exploring setting up a table that stores always encrypted data.
2015-12-14
3,661 reads
A while back I wrote a quick post on setting up key mappings in...
By Steve Jones
In 100 years a lot of what we take to be true now will...
At Saturday the 21st of February I’m presenting an introduction to dimensional modelling at...
Hello, I inherited a number of tables with like 20-30 column using nvarchar(256) in...
Hi, i'm running vs2022. I'm trying out a c# script that i'd like to...
I upgraded a SQL Server 2019 instance to SQL Server 2025. I wanted to test the fuzzy string search functions. I run this code:
SELECT JARO_WINKLER_DISTANCE('tim', 'tom')
I get this error message:Msg 195, Level 15, State 10, Line 1 'JARO_WINKLER_DISTANCE' is not a recognized built-in function name.What is wrong? See possible answers