James Serra

James works at Microsoft as a big data and data warehousing solution architect where he has been for most of the last nine years. He is a thought leader in the use and application of Big Data and advanced analytics, including data architectures such as the modern data warehouse, data lakehouse, data fabric, and data mesh. Previously he was an independent consultant working as a Data Warehouse/Business Intelligence architect and developer. He is a prior SQL Server MVP with over 35 years of IT experience. He is a popular blogger (JamesSerra.com) and speaker, having presented at dozens of major events including SQLBits, PASS Summit, Data Summit and the Enterprise Data World conference. He is the author of the book “Deciphering Data Architectures: Choosing Between a Modern Data Warehouse, Data Fabric, Data Lakehouse, and Data Mesh”.

Blog Post

Microsoft Ignite Announcements Nov 2025

Announced at Microsoft Ignite two weeks ago were many new product features related to the data platform. Check out the Major announcements and Book of News. I went through the many announcements and picked...

2025-12-10 (first published: )

386 reads

Blog Post

Azure IoT Operations

I want to talk about a fairly new product that you may not be aware of: Azure IoT Operations, which GA’d last November (it was first announced at Ignite...

2025-09-03 (first published: )

784 reads

Blogs

T-SQL Tuesday #198–Change Detection

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This month we have a new host, Meagan Longoria, who graciously agreed to help...

Redgate and Rome

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I’m at the UK Redgate office today, meeting with senior leaders in all areas...

Quick Tip: Check Most DTU Expensive Queries in Azure SQL Database

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Optimizing Azure SQL Database performance often begins with identifying the most resource-intensive queries. Understanding...

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Forums

SSRS Is Dead. Here Are Your Real Options

By sgharlow

Comments posted to this topic are about the item SSRS Is Dead. Here Are...

The Distance Metric

By Steve Jones - SSC Editor

Comments posted to this topic are about the item The Distance Metric

The New Wave of Security Threats

By Steve Jones - SSC Editor

Comments posted to this topic are about the item The New Wave of Security...

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Question of the Day

The Distance Metric

In the new VECTOR_DISTANCE() function in SQL Server 2025, the first parameter is the distance_metric. What is this?

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