Auto-Tuning and the #1 Mindset Problem I Had as a DBA
A few folks have asked: will auto-tuning and adaptive query plans mean the end of performance tuning jobs for SQL Server? In this week’s episode, I talk about why...
2017-12-04
3 reads
Slowing Down Your Motor Mouth – Presentation Tips for Fast Talkers
Are you worried that you talk too fast when you give a speech, talk, or presentation? Is fear being a fast-talker one of the concerns that keeps you from...
2017-11-20
3 reads
#TSQL2SDAY 96 – Kalen Delaney’s Inspiration for Adventure
This post is part of TSQL Tuesday, a monthly blog party. You’re welcome to join in this party: if you’d like email notifications of future topics, here’s how to...
2017-11-14
3 reads
Things I Learned from Speaker Idol 2017 at the SQL PASS Summit
I was lucky enough to serve as a judge for the Speaker Idol competition at the SQL PASS Summit conference this year. One of the great thing about watching...
2017-11-09
6 reads
I Thought I Was An Introvert. Turns Out I Was Anxious as #@*] (Dear SQL DBA Episode 53)
In this week’s episode, I’m not answering a reader’s question. Instead, I’m talking about my personal experience with anxiety. This episode touches on on healthcare, religion, and squishy emotions...
2017-11-08
3 reads
SQL PASS Summit 2017 Day 2 – Keynote Notes and Ideas
This morning, Dr Rimma Nehme tells us the story of the birth of Azure Cosmos DB, a global, scale-out database system. At the beginning of the talk, I can already...
2017-11-02
11 reads
SQL PASS Summit 2017: Day 1 Keynote Thoughts and Memories
Whee! It’s the first day of the main SQL PASS Summit conference and I made it to the keynote early for the first time ever. The hype says we’re going...
2017-11-01
6 reads
The Death of SQL Server Service Packs
SQL Server Service Packs are going away, starting with SQL Server 2017. I talk about why I think this is a good thing, and discuss Cumulative Updates, Service Packs,...
2017-10-06
2 reads
Love and Hate for SSMS
People have strong feelings about SQL Server Management Studio: they love it AND they hate it. In this week’s episode, I talk about why people have such conflicting feelings...
2017-09-29
12 reads
How Do I Analyze a SQL Server Execution Plan?
A query is slow, and you figure out how to collect the query execution plan. Now what? In this video, I talk “big picture” about what execution plans are,...
2017-09-22
41 reads
Blogs
Resetting on the AI hype train
By Brian Kelley
There's a great article from MIT Technology Review about resetting on the hype of...
A New Word: Etherness
By Steve Jones
etherness – n. the wistful feeling of looking around a gathering of loved ones,...
Vibe Coding a Login Tracking System
By Steve Jones
A customer was asking about tracking logins and logouts in Redgate Monitor. We don’t...
Forums
T-SQL in SQL Server 2025: The || Operator
Comments posted to this topic are about the item T-SQL in SQL Server 2025:...
Your Value from a Conference
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Your Value from a Conference
UNISTR Basics
Comments posted to this topic are about the item UNISTR Basics
Question of the Day
UNISTR Basics
What does this code return in SQL Server 2025+? (assume the database has an appropriate collation)
SELECT UNISTR('Hello 4E16754C') AS 'A Classic';
A: 
B: 
See possible answers