Configure SQL Server Alerts for Azure SQL Managed Instance
How can we setup alerts in Azure SQL MI to notify us when there are issues?
2025-09-15
Additional Articles
How to Increase SQL Server Column Width Without IO (Input/Output) Overhead
This article dives into a fun (and interesting!) strategy for widening fixed-width columns in SQL Server, to reduce downtime, risk, and runtime at the time when a column’s data type needs to be changed.
2025-09-12
A Rolling Filtered Index in SQL Server
I recently resolved an issue where a query pulling data from the last 30 days would time out due to the table’s size and the lack of a supporting index. Creating a supporting index is possible, but not ideal; it will be very large and may not be useful for most queries and use cases. I wonder how I could implement a filtered index that follows time and is always limited to the last n days.
2025-09-10
How to Use the New PRODUCT() Function in SQL Server 2025
Introduced in SQL Server 2025 CTP 1.3, the PRODUCT() function acts similarly to SUM(), but multiplies values rather than adds them. It is an aggregate function in SQL Server and therefore operates on a data set, rather than on scalar values.
2025-09-08
SQL Server Triggers for Business Rules Automation
The advantage of using triggers is that the same processing can occur regardless of where or how the data has been inserted, updated or deleted. In this article, we look at several examples of where and why triggers could be useful along with an example use case.
2025-09-05
How to Script Dimensions with data build tool (dbt) Macros
In this article, we’ll revisit the dimension models we created. We wrote the entire SQL statement for the dimension by hand, and the dimensions themselves were very rudimentary; they lacked a surrogate key and there were no audit columns (such as insert date and update date). We’ll show you how we can expand the dimensions using Jinja, but also how we can minimize development effort by baking reusable patterns into the Jinja code.
2025-09-03
Picking the ON or WHERE Clause for the SQL Predicate
Helping people solve T-SQL problems is one of my favorite hobbies. Someone messaged me the other day with a complex query that was almost complete except for one issue. He needed to perform a LEFT OUTER JOIN but had to filter based on a value from the right table. However, when he added the filter, SQL removed rows from the left table. The task was to decide where to place the SQL predicate: in the ON or WHERE clause.
2025-09-01
DevOps vs. SRE: Bridging the Gap, Not Building Walls
In Part 2, we shift focus from theory to practice. We will explore how organizations can harmoniously integrate both practi: the agility of DevOps and the resilience of SRE. During integration, it requires deliberate changes to culture, tooling, metrics, and collaboration patterns.
2025-08-29
PostgreSQL High Availability Options
We are deploying a new application that uses PostgreSQL database. My manager has asked me to design high availability into the implementation. As a SQL Server database administrator, I’ve been managing PostgreSQL databases for a while. However, I’m not sure which high availability options to implement. What are the different high availability options for PostgreSQL?
2025-08-27
Columnstore Index Improvements in SQL Server 2025
Columnstore indexes are a powerful tool for storing analytic data directly in SQL Server. This feature has improved in every version of SQL Server since their inception over ten years ago, and SQL Server 2025 is no exception!
2025-08-25
Blogs
Why your data still can’t answer a simple question
Every organization I talk to has the same problem dressed up in different clothes....
T-SQL Tuesday #197 Invitation – An impactful session or two from a conference
By DataOnWheels
I am delighted to host this month’s T-SQL Tuesday invitation. If you are new...
Did You Really Name That Default?
By alevyinroc
Ten years (and a couple jobs) ago, I wrote about naming default constraints to...
Forums
The day-to-day pressures of a DBA team, and how we can work smarter with automation and AI
Comments posted to this topic are about the item The day-to-day pressures of a...
The Problem Isn't Always Your Query or Schema... Sometimes It's Hidden Assumptions
Comments posted to this topic are about the item The Problem Isn't Always Your...
Identity Defaults
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Identity Defaults
Question of the Day
Identity Defaults
What happens when I run this code?
CREATE TABLE dbo.IdentityTest
(
id int IDENTITY(10) PRIMARY KEY,
somevalue VARCHAR(20)
)
GO
See possible answers