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.

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Blog Post

Using AI for Data Conversion

I’m sure I’ve never mentioned that I’m an amateur radio operator. Like Vegans and Cross Fitters, we tend to be shy and withdrawn about our predilections. BWA-HA-HA! Ok, like...

2025-04-28 (first published: )

354 reads

SQLServerCentral Editorial

Life Moves Pretty Fast

Driving my soon-to-be granddaughter to school today (my son is getting married and will adopt the young lady), we saw a dead armadillo, a turtle in the road (rescued it) and an escaped cow (left it alone). THEN... old soon-to-be granddad had forgotten lunch, so had to deliver that back at the school (cow must […]

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2025-04-26

68 reads

SQLServerCentral Editorial

Smile and Wave Boys

I won't even try to hide it. I got a huge kick out of the penguin characters in the animated movie, Madagascar. For those who don't know, they're trying to escape the zoo, but are trying to hide that from anyone discovering it. So, they put up a front, "Smile and wave boys. Smile and […]

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2025-03-22

85 reads

SQLServerCentral Editorial

Limits, Not Goals

I just saw one of "those" questions. You know the ones: 'We're hitting an error with a stored procedure. What is the maximum number of parameters you can have?" <sigh> Look, I get it. Breaking the land speed record is cool. Getting the most people into a phone booth (look it up), also cool. Fastest, […]

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2025-02-15

127 reads

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Blogs

PowerPoint to HTML with Claude AI

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I had an idea for an animated view of a sales tool, and started...

Don’t Miss Out – SQL Server Query Tuning Fundamentals Starts Next Monday!

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Next Monday, February 9, 2026, my one-day live online training SQL Server Query Tuning...

Monday Monitor Tips: SQL Auditing Preview

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One of the features we advocates have been advocating for is a better way...

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Forums

Tame Those Strings (Series)

By Steve Jones - SSC Editor

Comments posted to this topic are about the item Tame Those Strings (Series)

SSRS shared dataset parameters not showing in expression builder

By SLL1966

I am creating shared datasets that our executive staff can use for creating reports...

SSRS shared dataset parameters not showing in expression builder

By SLL1966

I am creating shared datasets that our executive staff can use for creating reports...

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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