Feature Restrictions in SQL Server 2019 are Worse Than Useless: a False Sense of Security And Wasted Opportunity

A misguided attempt to improve security that not only increases the chances of SQL Injection, but also prevented useful changes from being made.… Continue reading Feature Restrictions in...

Specific String Pattern Magically Hidden From Step Output in SQL Agent History

Specific String Pattern Magically Hidden From Step Output in SQL Agent History. Who Knew?… Continue reading Specific String Pattern Magically Hidden From Step Output in SQL Agent History ?

Maximum Number of Rows for the Table Value Constructor

What is the maximum number of rows for the Table Value Constructor? And, do different uses of it behave differently?… Continue reading Maximum Number of Rows for the Table...

Error -2068643839 / 1602 Installing msoledbsql.msi and msodbcsql.msi for SQL Server 2019 CTP 2.5

(last updated: 2019-05-05 @ 11:55 EST / 2019-05-05 @ 15:55 UTC ) I had gone through the process of uninstalling the now obsolete SQL Server 2019 CTP, and then...

Can a Certificate’s Private Key be Imported / Restored From a Binary Literal / Hex Bytes ?

(last updated: 2019-04-22 @ 13:00 EST / 2019-04-22 @ 17:00 UTC ) SQL Server 2012 introduced a significant improvement to CREATE CERTIFICATE: the ability to import a certificate —...

Uppercase All String Columns (and in a Single Query!)

(last updated: 2019-03-21 @ 15:00 EST / 2019-03-21 @ 19:00 UTC )

Intro
The other day, Steve Jones published a short post with a quick...

SSMS Tip #3: Easily Access/Research ALL Unicode Characters (Yes, Including Emojis ??)

Learn how to get a list of all Unicode characters to copy and paste, or use in queries / web pages / programs, or search by value, etc.… Continue...

Cruel Joke: Prevent SQL Server From Starting, and With (Almost) No Indication Why

(last updated: 2019-03-07 @ 15:40 EST / 2019-03-07 @ 20:40 UTC )
I ran across something the other day that I thought would be...

Differences Between the Various Binary Collations (Cultures, Versions, and BIN vs BIN2)

(last updated: 2019-03-15 @ 02:45 EST / 2019-03-15 @ 06:45 UTC )
Binary collations are, in many ways, simpler to understand than non-binary collations...

What Does the Undocumented UNCOMPRESS Function Do?

(last updated: 2019-02-26 @ 18:35 EST / 2019-02-26 @ 23:35 UTC )
IntelliSense in SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) can be quite helpful. It...