How Filters and Sorting can Derail SQL Pagination Performance

In my previous tip, Pagination Performance in SQL Server, I showed how to make SQL pagination more predictable – turning O(n) into O(1). I materialized and cached row numbers to page through instead of calculating them on every request. It wasn’t the whole story, though; real pagination queries rarely get to sort without filtering. Users always want more control, and filtering can threaten that predictability.

Deciphering Data Architectures

Data fabric, data lakehouse, and data mesh have recently appeared as viable alternatives to the modern data warehouse. These new architectures have solid benefits, but they're also surrounded by a lot of hyperbole and confusion. This practical book provides a guided tour of these architectures to help data professionals understand the pros and cons of each.

• Printed book:
  • US
• Kindle book:
  • US

Common SQL Server Problems: Invalid Length

This is another part in my series designed to offer guidance around common issues in SQL Server. Today, let’s talk about the all-too-common error: invalid length.

Database Development with AI in 2026

This seems like the appropriate first BrentOzar.com blog post in the year 2026, eh?

Exploiting SQL Server Date Correlation Optimization: How Tampered Backups Enable Cross-Database Data Leaks

This article is a follow-up to SQL Server DBaaS Vulnerability: Decrypting System Code & Exfiltrating User Data, in which we saw some vulnerabilities that affected pretty much all DBaaS offerings available in the cloud. Now, we’ll look at another vulnerability that once again affects every major cloud vendor.

Power BI Quick Reference Guide

I need a structured reference guide to help me get started or expand on Power BI knowledge. I want to be able to bookmark a resource and then use it daily when needed as I build my data sets, reports, and dashboards. Can you please enumerate some common and helpful resources as a Power BI Quick Reference guide?

How to Create a SQL Server Linked Server to Oracle 26ai Free

Easily move data from SQL Server to Oracle 26ai Free with this step-by-step guide.

Sending messages to Slack from SQL Server 2025

In an earlier tip, A history of accessing REST APIs and web pages from SQL Server, I talked about reaching out to external endpoints from SQL Server, including the new sys.sp_invoke_external_rest_endpoint procedure that hit the on-premises editions in SQL Server 2025. This seemed like an ideal use case to enhance our current solution for sending a message to Slack: using xp_cmdshell to call a PowerShell script that calls Invoke-RestMethod. In this tip, I’ll describe how we changed our implementation and why it is a marked improvement for us.

How to View SQL Server Object Code Easily with sp_showcode

sp_helptext has served SQL Server DBAs for years, but it has its very obvious – and many – limitations: broken lines, missing triggers, no help with encrypted objects, to name just a few. That’s where sp_showcode comes in…

Find Missing SQL Server Data with NOT EXISTS

After years of writing T-SQL a certain way, changing can be tough. When comparing tables for missing rows, developers often use LEFT JOIN.