Gregory Larsen

Currently a SQL Server DBA. I've been working with SQL Server since 1999. I'm an old-time mainframe DBA. My DBA career started in 1985. Currently studying to obtaining MCDBA.

Technical Article

Converting Binary data to a Hex Character String

Occassionally you might want to convert a binary number into some printable string.   This would allow you display some meaning fully numbers hex characters, instead of just some unreadable garbage.  This script takes a binary field, of basically any length, and converts it, character by character, to a character string.  The character string will contain […]

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2002-11-07

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SQLServerCentral Article

Streamlining the Database Server Recovery Process

Are you tired of manually restoring each database on a new server when the original server has a melt down? Does the manual process seem slow, and prone to keystoke and mouse click errors? Would you like to have those restore scripts automatically built, so you only have to fire them off? Well this article will show you one possible method for speeding up and reducing errors will trying to perform a restore of all databases on a server.

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2002-11-05

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Question of the Day

The Decoded Value

In SQL Server 2025, what is returned from this code:

DECLARE @message VARCHAR(50) = 'Hello SQL Server 2025!';
DECLARE @encoded VARCHAR(MAX);

SET @encoded = BASE64_ENCODE(CAST(@message AS VARBINARY(1000)));
SELECT BASE64_DECODE(@encoded) 

See possible answers