Prevent Full Script Execution (Understanding and Using PARSEONLY and NOEXEC)

(last updated: 2019-01-08 @ 13:53 EST / 2019-01-08 @ 18:53 UTC )
There are times when I am working on a SQL script that...

Changing the Collation of the Instance, the Databases, and All Columns in All User Databases: What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

Demystifying What “sqlservr -q” Actually Does
(last updated: 2019-01-07 @ 02:25 EST / 2019-01-07 @ 07:45 UTC )
For various reasons, people sometimes find themselves...

SQLCLR vs SQL Server 2017, Part 9: Does PERMISSION_SET Still Matter, or is Everything Now UNSAFE?

(last updated: 2018-11-01 @ 00:50 EDT / 2018-11-01 @ 04:50 UTC )
SQL Server 2017 introduced a new security restriction for SQLCLR in the...

Native UTF-8 Support in SQL Server 2019: Savior or False Prophet?

(last updated: 2018-12-26 @ 16:20 EST / 2018-12-26 @ 21:20 UTC )
(NOTE: For recent update, please see “Update for CTP 2.2” section)
For some...

SQLCLR vs SQL Server 2017, Part 8: Is SQLCLR Deprecated in Favor of Python or R (sp_execute_external_script)?

(last updated: 2019-01-10 @ 18:00 EST / 2019-01-10 @ 23:00 UTC )
With the additional (and annoying) configuration step required to get SQLCLR Assemblies...

Enable Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc) on Windows 10 Home Edition

Occassionally I want / need to change a Windows setting that is not configurable via Control Panel or Settings. For example:
Enabling...

What’s in a Name?: Inside the Wacky World of T-SQL Identifiers

(last updated: 2018-04-28)
Today we are going to take a look into an area that you probably are thinking has very...

The Uni-Code: The Search for the True List of Valid Characters for T-SQL Identifiers, Part 3 of 2 (Delimited Identifiers)

(last updated: 2018-04-18)
This is Part 3 of 2. Yes, you read that correctly. You see, way back at the very...

The Uni-Code: The Search for the True List of Valid Characters for T-SQL Regular Identifiers, Part 2

(last updated: 2018-04-28)

Recap
In Part 1 of this 2 part series, I started with the loose definition in Microsoft’s documentation for...

Why Doesn’t CONTEXT_INFO() Return the Exact Value Set by SET CONTEXT_INFO?

(last updated: 2019-01-05 @ 23:15 EST / 2019-01-06 @ 04:15 UTC )
Let’s say that you execute the following T-SQL:

SET CONTEXT_INFO 1234;
SELECT CONVERT(INT, CONTEXT_INFO());
The...