More Free Training Resources

A recent blog by Jack Corbett (No Training Budget Still No Excuse, followed up by SSC’s Steve Jones here) hit...

Creating Dynamic Outputs in SSIS

In this article, we'll see how you can use the Foreach loop and the Expression Language to create multiple, dynamic outputs through object reuse.

Skipping Items in a Foreach Loop

Recently, my friend Jack Corbett asked a question on Twitter:

In a nutshell, the SSIS foreach loop will enumerate a given...

Getting Into the Biz, Part 3

In a couple of previous posts (Part One and Part Two), I shared some thoughts about starting a career path...

Social Networking in the SQL Server Community

Like many SQL Server (and other technology) people, I utilize several social networking vehicles to stay in touch with others in the SQL community. Some of those who don’t use Facebook and Twitter (among others) have expressed skepticism of the real value of social networking. Does it work? Does it provide any value beyond entertainment? Can it actually help your career? I believe the answer to all of these queries is Yes.

Being The Best vs. Being Affordable

I read a post on Brent Ozar’s blog last week that discussed employers’ expectations when hiring new team members. Though the story was specific to database professionals, the same principles apply to almost any hiring situation. The moral of Brent’s story...

Transaction Rollbacks with Identity Values

Have you ever noticed unexpected gaps in sequences in IDENTITY columns? Even though you’ve got transactions set up for your inserts and a no-deletion policy, you find that there are missing values in what should be an unbroken sequence of numbers. The problem could be partially related to transaction rollbacks.

SQL Saturday 14 - Pensacola

I’ve just arrived home from a quick trip to Pensacola to speak at SQL Saturday 14 in Pensacola, FL. I’m quite happy with the event; the planning and organization was handled very well, and I believe the event was a big success in the eyes of the...

SQL Saturday Pensacola pics

The SQL Saturday Pensacola pics are up! Visit the SQL Saturday Facebook group at

Using the Script Component With Multiple Outputs

This article demonstrates the use of the SSIS Script Component to create multiple outputs from unconventional data files.