Data dictionary script
I restarted speaking with New Stars of Data today – I gave a talk on Database documentation. Below is the script I created to pull metadata into an excel...
2021-03-16 (first published: 2021-03-12)
710 reads
Mala Mahadevan
Old but not gone…
I am part of a weekly talk show we run at the TriPASS user group, called ‘Shop Talk’. Shop Talk was the brainchild of Kevin Feasel, our key user...
2021-02-25 (first published: 2021-02-22)
380 reads
TSQL Tuesday #134 – Taking a break
This month’s TSQL Tuesday invite is from James McGillivray – he asks people to write about what they were/are doing to take a break during this crisis ridden time...
2021-01-12
17 reads
End of an Era – SQL PASS and Lessons learned
Most of my blog is filled with posts related to PASS in some way. Events, various volunteering opportunities, keynote blogging, this or that…With the demise of the organization, I...
2020-12-31 (first published: 2020-12-22)
513 reads
PASS Summit 2020 – My experience
This was the first year in 16 years for me that there has been a fall season without the PASS Summit to go to. Every year, during the fall,...
2020-11-25 (first published: 2020-11-15)
247 reads
T-SQL Tuesday 132: Coping with a pandemic
This month’s T-SQL Tuesday is hosted by my good friend and data platform MVP Taiob Ali. Taiob’s challenge is very relevant to current season – he asks to blog...
2020-11-10
23 reads
T-SQL Tuesday 131: Data Analogies, or: Explain Databases Like I’m Five!
This month’s TSQL2sday is hosted by one of my favorite presenters, Rob Volk. His challenge for us is to use analogies and explain a database concept like you would...
2020-10-19 (first published: 2020-10-13)
439 reads
Azure SQL Championship
There is no doubt that this is a time when we all have to be extra aware and work towards keeping our skills aligned with market needs. During this...
2020-10-13 (first published: 2020-10-07)
339 reads
PASS – Meanderings
As most people reading this would know…the PASS organization is in a state of crisis now following the decision to go virtual. We are in a place where we...
2020-07-03 (first published: 2020-06-20)
190 reads
Being seen and why PASS helped
One of my colleagues/friends read my earlier blog post on the future of PASS and said he was not aware that being seen as a minority person was among...
2020-06-22
8 reads
Blogs
Don’t Miss Out – SQL Server Query Tuning Fundamentals Starts Next Monday!
Next Monday, February 9, 2026, my one-day live online training SQL Server Query Tuning...
Monday Monitor Tips: SQL Auditing Preview
By Steve Jones
One of the features we advocates have been advocating for is a better way...
SQL Server 2025 CU1 Fixes the Docker Desktop AVX Issue on macOS
Microsoft fixed the AVX instruction issue in SQL Server 2025 CU1. The container now...
Forums
25 Years of SQL Server Central
Comments posted to this topic are about the item 25 Years of SQL Server...
The Decoded Value
Comments posted to this topic are about the item The Decoded Value
Deploying SQL Server Developer Edition in Kubernetes: A Cost-Effective Alternative to RDS
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Deploying SQL Server Developer Edition...
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