Evil Code
/*
A couple
of years ago, I wrote the Simple-Talk Prettifier. This is really no more than a stored
procedure that...
2009-08-14
3,550 reads
Phil Factor
- Interests: Motorbikes, Beer, gardening, conservation, Local history.
The Joy of Data Modelling.
You may think that the task of teasing out the exact nature
of the data and processes within a company...
2009-08-11
2,491 reads
There's a Lot to Learn From Even Simple Puzzles
Phil reflects on the problem-solving power of SQLServerCentral at its best, and mentions some of the impressive contributions to the Summer SQL Stumpers competition
2009-08-11
420 reads
Advice for the Unemployed
Everyone has an opinion on the best advice to give an IT person who is unemployed and wants to get back into paid work. Phil Factor outlines what he would advise.
2009-07-16
226 reads
Basically Available, Soft State, Eventually Consistent
The use of non-relational databases is a fascinating topic but they will remain special-purpose and are not competing with SQL-based relational databases.
2009-07-13
830 reads
Stress
Developers and DBAs both tend to lead stressful lives. Occasionally, things don't go to plan, and this stress can then build to pretty intolerable levels. Without adaptive methods of dealing with stress, things can go very wrong...
2009-07-02
275 reads
Documenting Database Code: Structured Headers
When you're doing any database development work, it won't be long before you need to seriously consider the documentation of your routines. Should we, as a community, propose a common standard for T-SQL headers, and the information that should go into them?
2009-06-30
483 reads
When the next object-persistence boat comes in.
Phil enjoys an old Microsoft Training manual and wonders why it is no longer possible to encompass the whole of SQL in a 400 page book any more..
2009-06-29
1,933 reads
The secret skill revealed in the dusty booklet
Going through one’s father’s belongings after his death is always a poignant, bitter-sweet experience. I was going through his most precious books a while back; there were books that were written by him, books by friends and relatives, books about friends...
2009-06-26
2,357 reads
When the next object-persistence boat comes in.
I was reading a MCP training manual for SQL Server the other day. It was good. The whole of TSQL...
2009-06-22
1,743 reads
Blogs
Claude Code Helps Analyze Test Data Manager Log Files
By Steve Jones
I had a customer ask about analyzing their Test Data Manager (TDM) usage to...
PowerPoint to HTML with Claude AI
By Steve Jones
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!
Next Monday, February 9, 2026, my one-day live online training SQL Server Query Tuning...
Forums
SQL Server 2025 Query Performance Tuning: Troubleshoot and Optimize Query Performance
Comments posted to this topic are about the item SQL Server 2025 Query Performance...
Is it uncommon for Dev's to have a data model of the source data
This is a generic question. To the moderators, I wasn't sure where to place...
ROLLUP to calculate Month total for all Categories
Good Afternoon, I have built a table with four columns: Period(Month), Category, Numerator, Denominator....
Question of the Day
Creating JSON I
On SQL Server 2025, what happens when I run this code:
SELECT JSON_OBJECTAGG( 'City':'Denver') GOSee possible answers