Articles

External Article

How to Confuse the SQL Server Query Optimizer

Want to 'trick' SQL Server into performing millions of logical reads to return data, when only are few thousand were really required? In this article, Gail Shaw examines three common forms of generic SQL that can and will confuse the SQL Server Optimizer to the point that it generates and reuses very inefficient execution plans.

2015-09-21

3,875 reads

External Article

T-SQL Window Functions Speed Phreakery

Before SQL Server had SQL window functions, SQL Server developers had to use all manner of tricks and algorithms to come up with ways to rapidly process large amounts of data. Do we need these techniques now that we can express a SQL task in terms of window functions? Kathi revisits a famous SQL challenge to find out.

2015-09-18

4,213 reads

Technical Article

Monitoring Availability Group Replica Synchronization

If you are deploying SQL Server Availability Groups, one of the important aspects of a successful deployment is monitoring the synchronization of the secondary replica databases with the primary replica - but there are multiple ways to do this. Jonathan Kehayias goes through each, explaining their different benefits and drawbacks.

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2015-09-17

2,771 reads

External Article

The Zen of Code Reviews: Best Practices

If you don't feel that you are getting helpful and comprehensive feedback from code reviews, it may well be your fault. Unless you are considerate to your reviewers in a number of ways, they might find it difficult to check your code and provide helpful advice. What ways? Michael Sorens outlines the eight golden rules that, if you follow them, might even even make your code a pleasure to review!

2015-09-15

6,927 reads

Blogs

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Generate Embeddings in SQL with Aurora and Bedrock

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Resolving SQL Server Transaction Log Issues Efficiently

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Symmetric Key Encryption

By Steve Jones - SSC Editor

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The “Successful Login” Dilemma: Why Your Login Auditing Strategy Might Be Hurting Your Server

By Pablo Echeverria

Comments posted to this topic are about the item The “Successful Login” Dilemma: Why...

Building Your Own Software

By Steve Jones - SSC Editor

Comments posted to this topic are about the item Building Your Own Software

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Question of the Day

Symmetric Key Encryption

If I run this statement in SQL Server 2025, how is the password encrypted?

CREATE SYMMETRIC KEY MySymmetricKey
WITH ALGORITHM = AES_256,
KEY_SOURCE = 'My secret key source passphrase',
IDENTITY_VALUE = 'My secret identity value'
ENCRYPTION BY PASSWORD = 'S&perS#cretP@ssword7';
GO

See possible answers