What’s a Database Encryption Key (DEK) in TDE

The encryption mechanisms in SQL Server are interesting, and they work well, but they are somewhat poorly named. I ran...

Your Favorite Feature that Needs Work

This week Steve Jones asks what parts of SQL Server would you improve and why.

SQL Server 2016 Just Runs Faster - Encryption

Performance Monitoring - Basic Counters

What counters should you monitor to baseline your servers? Which ones for checking performance? It's an interesting question and one that always leads Steve Jones to a wide range of sources in print and on the web. Steve compiled his own list and finally has put some words around the list to give some justification of why they are chosen. Read on and see how this compares to your list (you do have a list don't you?).

The Great and Powerful Internet of Things

A look at the good, and bad, of the IoT world along with the potential future.

Using a DMK in TDE

When you setup TDE, you need to create a DMK (Database Master Key) in the master database if one doesn’t...

Unattended Licensing

Speaking at SQL Konferenz 2017

I’m heading back across the Atlantic this February for SQL Konferenz. This is an intimate SQL Server event in Darmstadt...

The SSMS Clipboard

A Wide Variation in Skill

We all have different levels of skills, and it's not always because we don't try. Sometimes it's a question of timing.