Grant Fritchey

Grant Fritchey is a SQL Server MVP with over 20 years’ experience in IT including time spent in support and development. Grant has worked with SQL Server since version 6.0 back in 1995. He has developed in VB, VB.Net, C# and Java. Grant has authored books for Apress and Simple-Talk, and joined Red Gate as a Product Advocate in January 2011. Find Grant on Twitter @GFritchey or on his blog as the Scary DBA.

SQLServerCentral Editorial

Stories to Engage Us

I've always been fascinated by history. For a long time growing up, my plan was to become a history teacher. While that didn't work out, I've continued to read quite a lot of history, both popular and scholarly works. One of the things about it that I find most fascinating are the stories. History is […]

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2021-03-06

46 reads

SQLServerCentral Editorial

Information Security, ITs Abused Step Child

Many of us grew up with one version of Cinderella or another. The step child that's horribly mistreated by the new parent is a scary story. In the Disney version, everything works out fine. However, if you read some of the original Grimm versions of the story (and there is more than one version), not […]

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2021-01-30

63 reads

SQLServerCentral Editorial

What's Causing the Pushback with DevOps?

The term DevOps gets horribly abused. Don’t get me started on all the weird additions to it like DevSecOps. No, I just mean the term itself gets beaten up quite a lot. It’s to the point where people are starting to shy away from talking about it. I’ve even changed my approach when discussing DevOps […]

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2020-10-24

164 reads

SQLServerCentral Editorial

New Stuff Can Be Scary

I'm learning how to be a net controller for a high frequency (HF) radio network. Nets are a fun way to make lots of contacts quickly. Taking part in a net is simple. You check in with the net control and then you can answer calls or make calls (different nets have different rules). It's […]

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2020-09-26

89 reads

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Where Your Value Separates You from Others

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Fixing the Error

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T-SQL in SQL Server 2025: Encoding Functions

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Question of the Day

Fixing the Error

On SQL Server 2025, I have a database that has this collation: SQL_Latin1_General_CP1_CI_AS. I decide I want to run this code:

SELECT UNISTR('*3041*308A*304C*3068 and good night', '*') AS 'A Classic';
I get this error:Msg 9844, Level 16, State 4, Line 24 The char/varchar input type uses an unsupported collation. Only a UTF8 collation is supported with char/varchar input type in UNISTR function.What is the easiest way to fix this error?

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