Query Exercise: Find the Best Time for Maintenance
If we’ve gotta take the database down for maintenance – perhaps a version upgrade, perhaps upgrading our own code, maybe scaling up the hardware – when’s the best time to do it?
2024-02-07
Articles
Announcing the first Microsoft Fabric Community Conference!
Read a message from Bob Ward about the first Microsoft Fabric conference taking place in Las Vegas this March.
2024-02-05
1,566 reads
Fixing the Synapse Error "Available workspace capacity exceeded error (Livy session)"
This article will help you to resolve the Livy session error in an Azure Synapse notebook.
2024-02-05
3,241 reads
Resolving the MERGE statement attempted to UPDATE or DELETE the same row more than once error
I'm receiving the following error when attempting to run a T-SQL MERGE statement: "Msg 8672, Level 16, State 1, Line 123. The MERGE statement attempted to UPDATE or DELETE the same row more than once. This happens when a target row matches more than one source row.
2024-02-05
SQL Window Functions Series: NTILE()
Unlock the power of SQL's NTILE function with our latest deep-dive article. Learn to segment your data effectively into quantiles for more nuanced analysis, discover common pitfalls and their solutions, and optimize your queries for peak performance.
2024-02-03 (first published: 2024-01-03)
5,513 reads
Adding an AI Policy for Authors
SQL Server Central is changing their policy to respond to the increased use of AI technologies.
2024-02-02
400 reads
Deploying Azure SQL Database Using an ARM Template
Provisioning infrastructure in a timely and reliable manner is essential for agile development. One well-liked method that lets you use code to automate resource management and provisioning is infrastructure as code (IaC). Azure Resource Manager templates are one IaC solution for Azure (ARM templates).
2024-02-02
2,886 reads
Optimized locking in Azure SQL Database
I don’t think I’ve ever had a great impression of Azure SQL Database as a place for production applications. In its early days, it was missing several important features (like data compression). While that hole has been plugged, there are still other limitations and differences you should be aware o
2024-02-02
Install SSMS using Powershell DSC
Learn how you can install SMSS automatically using PowerShell DSC as this series continues.
2024-01-31
3,592 reads
Gracefully Handle Errors using TRY CATCH Logic in SQL Server Stored Procedures
Learn how to capture errors in SQL Server stored procedures and gracefully handle errors using Try Catch coding in your stored procedures.
2024-01-31
Blogs
Au Revoir for now
By Steve Jones
No, I’m not quitting or retiring. Just going on vacation, but I leave tonight...
The SUM of Nothing: #SQLNewBlogger
By Steve Jones
I caught this interesting item over on Pinal Dave’s blog: Eleven Interview Questions that...
Forums
Building a SQL Server Fleet Audit That Leadership Actually Reads
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Building a SQL Server Fleet...
Smart AI Agents and Data Security
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Smart AI Agents and Data...
RegEx Functions IV
Comments posted to this topic are about the item RegEx Functions IV
Question of the Day
RegEx Functions IV
I have this data in a table in a SQL Server 2025 database:
EmailAddressID EmailAddress 7 dylan0@ADVENTURE-WORKS.COM 8 Diane1@ADVENTURE-WORKS.COMIf I run this query, which row(s) are returned?
SELECT top 10 * FROM person.EmailAddress WHERE REGEXP_LIKE(EmailAddress, '^D', 'i') AND BusinessEntityID IN (7,8)See possible answers