Detecting SQL code smells using code analysis
Watch out, watch out, there's a NOLOCK hint about. And probably a few other SQL code smells.
2018-07-02
386 reads
Phil Factor
- Interests: Motorbikes, Beer, gardening, conservation, Local history.
One law for me, another for EU
Phil Factor notes that the EU's approach to the GDPR seems to be "do as I say, not as I do".
2018-06-04
62 reads
An Unlikely Taste for Documentation and Archiving
So, in general, what information (Scripts, configuration information, lists and documents) ought DBAs to retain about the databases and servers they are responsible for?
2018-05-31 (first published: 2014-11-10)
201 reads
The Technology Journey to Disaster
Phil Factor on a journey that started with a decision to introduce a new IT platform, and ended in a disaster that left TSB customers locked out of their accounts, experiencing problems such as zero balances, incorrect currencies, and massively inflated mortgage amounts.
2018-05-07
310 reads
Stumbling over Words
Phil Factor argues that the ability to write simply and expressively is a much under-valued skill in IT, and explains the main traps to avoid.
2018-04-09
109 reads
Troublesome Names
Building a name-and-address database sounds a disarmingly simple task, but if your name happens to be D'Arcy Join, then you probably know, from painful experience, that most programmers don't get it right.
2018-03-12
328 reads
Database Taming
Sometimes a database can seem to be as willful as a colt. Taming it requires an iron nerve, and unflinching eye contact. Occasionally though, you need to know when to jump the fence and regroup.
2018-02-12
75 reads
Data-driven Prototypes
Phil Factor on a tale of how dodgy mock data derailed an otherwise-convincing prototype.
2018-01-15
198 reads
The Appearance of the Flat File Wizard.
After many barren years, Phil Factor is pleased to see the first signs of Spring in SSMS.
2017-12-04
88 reads
A well-earned break from the database
Databases, like sheep, get get into some surprising scrapes. However, as long as you've planned for all the common mishaps, your conscience should be clear to take a well-earned holiday.
2017-11-27
68 reads
Blogs
Why I stopped using MCP for AI coding stuff
By HeyMo0sh
Something has shifted quietly in 2026. The developers I know/respect—the ones actually shipping, not...
AI: Blog a Day – Day 5: Notebooks, Hugging face models and Fine Tuning
By Vinay Thakur
Continuing from Day 4 where we learned Encoder, Decoder, and Attention Mechanism, today we...
AI: Blog a Day – Day 4: Transformers – Encoder, Decoder, and Attention
By Vinay Thakur
Continuing from Day 3 where we covered LLM models open/closed and their parameters, Today...
Forums
Dynamic Unpivot
I have a table I didn't design that has tons of repeating groups in...
Writing as an Art and a Job
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Writing as an Art and...
String Similarity II
Comments posted to this topic are about the item String Similarity II
Question of the Day
String Similarity II
What is the range for the result from the EDIT_DISTANCE_SIMILARITY() function in SQL Server 2025?
See possible answers