Randolph West

Randolph West is the Microsoft Docs content lead for SQL Server on Linux, and SQL migrations. A former Microsoft Data Platform MVP who has worked with SQL Server since the late 1990s, Randolph solves technology problems with a focus on SQL Server and C#. You can also see Randolph acting on the stage and screen, or doing voices for independent video games.

Blog Post

Git forked

Forgive me for the title. Mentally I’m 12. When I started my current day job, I certainly didn’t expect to write this many blog posts about Git. I don’t...

2026-02-23 (first published: )

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Blogs

Cost Visibility: Tracking and Analysing Your Cloud Spend

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One of the biggest challenges I’ve faced in cloud operations is maintaining clear visibility...

Whiling away an afternoon, thinking

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I come to Heathrow often. Today is likely somewhere close to 60 trips to...

Black Box vs. Gray Box vs. White Box Testing

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If your organization is spending money, then meaningful results are a must. Pen testing...

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Forums

Fun with JSON II

By Steve Jones - SSC Editor

Comments posted to this topic are about the item Fun with JSON II

Changing Data Types

By Steve Jones - SSC Editor

Comments posted to this topic are about the item Changing Data Types

Answering Questions On Dropped Columns

By Cláudio Silva

Comments posted to this topic are about the item Answering Questions On Dropped Columns

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Question of the Day

Fun with JSON II

I have some data in a table:

CREATE TABLE #test_data
(
    id INT PRIMARY KEY,
    name VARCHAR(100),
    birth_date DATE
);

-- Step 2: Insert rows  
INSERT INTO #test_data
VALUES
(1, 'Olivia', '2025-01-05'),
(2, 'Emma', '2025-03-02'),
(3, 'Liam', '2025-11-15'),
(4, 'Noah', '2025-12-22');
If I run this query, how many rows are returned?
SELECT t1.[key] AS row,
       t2.*
FROM OPENJSON(
     (
         SELECT t.* FROM #test_data AS t FOR JSON PATH
     )
             ) t1
    CROSS APPLY OPENJSON(t1.value) t2;

See possible answers