Zikato


Blog Post

Inspecting TSQL Abstract Syntax Trees

TSQL ScriptDOM is a useful library for parsing scripts into an abstract syntax tree. I've built a web tool that helps visualize this tree as a learning exercise.
Foreword
I've leveraged...

2025-12-03 (first published: )

109 reads

Blog Post

KDA: Echoes of Deception - Case 3

The crime spree in Digitown is not ending. This time 20 cars have been stolen and we need to find where they’re stored.
The problem
This is the abridged case description....

2025-06-09 (first published: )

274 reads

Blog Post

KDA: Echoes of Deception - Case 2

The people of Digitown are being targeted by phishermen, and they need my help to stop them in their tracks.
The problem

The police have asked for our assistance, and we’ve...

2025-06-02 (first published: )

196 reads

Blog Post

KDA: Echoes of Deception - Case 1

Another KDA case: Digitown’s utility bills suddenly doubled for no good reason. With the election coming up, I got pulled in to figure out what went wrong. I’ve got...

2025-05-30 (first published: )

199 reads

Blog Post

Kusto Detective Agency - Intro

While I mostly write about SQL Server, I have a soft spot for Kusto. In this series, I will explore solutions to fun challenges collectively known as the Kusto...

2025-04-27 (first published: )

106 reads

Blog Post

Deploy at Low Priority

Learn how to deploy schema changes in an always-online SQL Server environment without a maintenance window. This utility reduces blocking and improves deployment success.
The problem
I attempted to deploy a...

2025-03-19 (first published: )

197 reads

Blog Post

Finding nested references

I originally planned this post just as an answer to DBA Stack Overflow question: How can I get the list of tables in all the stored procedure? After preparing...

2024-09-13 (first published: )

264 reads

Blogs

The Book of Redgate: Spread across the world

By

This was Redgate in 2010, spread across the globe. First the EU/US Here’s Asia...

Merry Christmas

By

Today is Christmas and while I do not expect anybody to actual be reading...

Self-Hosting a Photo Server the Whole Family Can Use

By

Until recently, my family's 90,000+ photos have been hidden away in the depths of...

Read the latest Blogs

Forums

SQL Server 2025 Backup Compression Algorithm

By Johan Bijnens

Comments posted to this topic are about the item SQL Server 2025 Backup Compression...

The Large Encoded Value

By Steve Jones - SSC Editor

Comments posted to this topic are about the item The Large Encoded Value

The Side Job

By Steve Jones - SSC Editor

Comments posted to this topic are about the item The Side Job

Visit the forum

Question of the Day

The Large Encoded Value

I want to use the new BASE64_ENCODE() function in SQL Server 2025, but return a string that isn't large type. What is the longest varbinary string I can pass in and still get a varchar(8000) returned?

See possible answers