Are Data Breaches Inevitable?
Steve examines the idea that we might all have a data breach at some point.
How to Safely Remove a SQL Server Data File Without Downtime
Learn how to safely remove a SQL Server .ndf data file without any downtime using DBCC SHRINKFILE (EMPTYFILE). This hands-on tutorial walks through real-world Azure-based setup, data redistribution, and storage cleanup — ideal for DBAs managing enterprise SQL Server environments.
SQL ASCII Function Use and Examples
The ASCII function is used to return the ASCII value for the first character in a string.
Evergreen SQL Server
Microsoft talks about evergreen SQL, where you never need to patch your database.
Stairway to Transaction Log Management in SQL Server, Level 2: A Brief Overview of Transaction Log Architecture
In order to make it easier to understand truncation, space reuse and fragmentation in the log file, Tony gives a brief explanation of how the transaction log works.
Your SQL Server Needs Spring Cleaning, Too.
First things first: pick up that filthy keyboard, take it over to the trash can, turn it upside down, and give it a good, vigorous shake.
Deleting a Database
Who among us hasn't deleted a production data file? Steve hopes most of us have not.
Data Analyst AI tool
See how ChatGPT can be used to analyze a dataset, produce charts, and train a model.
Evaluating the Randomness of SQL Server Random Number Functions
Microsoft provides T-SQL developers with three functions (rand, newid, and crypt_gen_random) for generating random numbers. Each of these functions is effective at returning random values, but feature sets associated with each function make them best suited to different use cases. This tip’s Solution section presents an overview of common use cases for random numbers in SQL Server along with references to learn more about random numbers in SQL Server.
How Do You Know You Are Right?
I spend a significant amount of time working alone at my desk. I write articles, edit them, and share my opinions. However, I am constantly concerned about being wrong. How can I overcome this feeling? If this were a live session, I would eagerly listen to the answers to this question. Since it isn't, I […]
Blogs
Query multiple Azure SQL Databases
I was sick of changing context in Azure Data Studio while cleaning up things...
The Book of Redgate: Do Your Best Work
By Steve Jones
One of our mission statements in the Book of Redgate says: attempt to do...
A Conversation That Refused to End: What We Learned from Our First Event in Zurich
On May 8, 2025, we hosted our first official event in Switzerland at Prime...
Forums
CAST(VARCHAR(n)) resolved performance issue?
Hi, I would love to hear if anyone can tell me why a CAST...
isnull, coalesce overhead
hi, one of our sister division's erp extract view is going thru at least...
is there an elegant way for agent notification to show failure if any step fails
hi our corp dw load sqlagent job goes to the next step on the...
Question of the Day
The Internals of Writing a Page
In SQL Server, when the buffer manager write pages to disk, page protection is added to the pages. There are two types of protection: torn page protection and checksum page protection. What happens with regards to concurrency with page protection during writes?
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