How to Clear the SSMS Cache (SSMS 21 and Later)
How to Clear the SSMS Cache (SSMS 21 and Later)
Updated for SSMS 21 and later: This is a new, rewritten version of my earlier article...
2026-10-10
92 reads
SQL Server Transaction Log Forensics: Preserving Evidence During an Incident
SQL Server Transaction Log Forensics: Preserving Evidence During an Incident
SQL Server Transaction Log Forensics: Preserving Evidence During an Incident
This is the companion to Why sys.fn_dblog...
2026-09-30 (first published: 2026-09-18)
251 reads
How to Check TDE Progress and Elapsed Time in SQL Server
How to Check TDE Progress and Elapsed Time in SQL Server
Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) protects SQL Server data and log files while they are stored...
2026-09-25 (first published: 2026-09-11)
300 reads
Why sys.fn_dblog Is Undocumented And Why It's Still There
Why sys.fn_dblog Is Undocumented And Why It's Still There
Why sys.fn_dblog Is Still Undocumented — And Still There
This article is about why things are the way...
2026-09-16
69 reads
SQL Server gMSA: Why So Many DBAs Still Aren't Using It in 2026
SQL Server gMSA: Why DBAs Still Aren't Using It in 2026
Group Managed Service Accounts (gMSAs) solve the classic service-account password problem - just look at...
2026-08-26 (first published: 2026-08-18)
2,315 reads
SQL Server sa Account Security: Rename, Disable & Best Practices
SQL Server sa Account Security: Rename, Disable & Best Practices
In the Windows administration world, it's pretty much a standard practice to rename the local administrator...
2026-08-19 (first published: 2026-08-05)
731 reads
SQL Server instance metadata inventory with PowerShell and SMO
SQL Server instance metadata inventory with PowerShell and SMO
The purpose of this article is to introduce a PowerShell script that I wrote and published on...
2026-06-19 (first published: 2026-05-29)
511 reads
Track SQL Server Configuration Changes Using the Error Log
Track SQL Server Configuration Changes Using the Error Log
If you work with SQL Server long enough, you or someone will eventually want to know, “Did...
2026-05-29 (first published: 2026-05-14)
458 reads
Beware of Generic SQL Server License Keys (What to Use Instead)
Beware of Generic SQL Server License Keys (What to Use Instead)
I (think) realize that content here is probably more applicable to mid-to-large organizations than small...
2026-05-01 (first published: 2026-04-22)
544 reads
PowerShell Remoting for SQL DBAs: WinRM + SSH Guide (Updated 2026)
PowerShell Remoting for SQL DBAs: WinRM + SSH Guide (Updated 2026)
Originally published in 2023, this post never made it into Google's index, so I'm republishing it...
2026-04-03 (first published: 2026-03-26)
657 reads
Blogs
T-SQL Tuesday #203: Risk and Reward
By Steve Jones
This is timely, as I’m currently on a boat in the Adriatic taking a...
dataMinds Connect 2026 – Slides & Scripts
You can find the slides and SQL scripts for my session “Spice up your...
How to Clear the SSMS Cache (SSMS 21 and Later)
By SQLPals
How to Clear the SSMS Cache (SSMS 21 and Later) Updated...
Forums
Risk Vs Reward, The never ending ROI discussion.
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Risk Vs Reward, The never...
Using CHOOSE()
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Using CHOOSE()
Re-Seeding a Broken Log Shipping Secondary (Without Touching the Primary)
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Re-Seeding a Broken Log Shipping...
Question of the Day
Using CHOOSE()
We have this code that sets some status values and then queries them using the CHOOSE() function in SQL Server 2025.
CREATE TABLE Status
(
StatusID INT,
StatusDescription VARCHAR(20)
);
GO
INSERT dbo.Status
(
StatusID,
StatusDescription
)
VALUES
(0, 'Uncategorized'),
(1, 'Active'),
(2, 'Inactive'),
(3, 'Temp');
GO
SELECT CHOOSE(StatusID, 'Unknown', 'Active', 'Inactive', 'Temporary')
FROM Status;
When the SELECT runs, what is returned? See possible answers