Obsessing over query operator costs
A common problem when looking at execution plans is attributing too much meaning and value of the costs of operators.
The...
2018-02-22 (first published: 2018-02-13)
2,231 reads
Blog Posts
4 Rules of Right When Running a Query
Last month in January, I participated in the Idera #sqlchat. This is a monthly chat meeting that is organized by...
2018-02-21 (first published: 2018-02-09)
3,125 reads
Activate Conference 2018: Three days of Tech Learning
Tomorrow I'll be giving two workshops at the super-slick-brandedActivate Conference 2018 in Baton Rouge at the Louisiana Technology Park, a...
2018-02-21
295 reads
Automating Database Deployment: Part 3 Running RoundhousE
Now that we have a basic understanding of RoundhousE database deployment from the first two parts of this series let’s get to the good stuff. If you haven't read...
2018-02-21
51 reads
Azure SQL Elastic Pools
In this video tutorial David talks you through the benefits of Azure SQL Elastic pools. Elastic pools allow you to...
2018-02-21
743 reads
Dates and Times in SQL Server: DATETIME
Last year I ran a series of posts about Database Fundamentals. Over the next few weeks, I will cover the...
2018-02-21
343 reads
Indexing and Partitioning
Partitioning tables is a great tool to increase the manageability of your data. Being able to move large amounts of...
2018-02-21
3,881 reads
Power BI with different Network Visualizations
(2018-Feb-10) A few days ago Microsoft provided another update for its desktop version of the Power BI data analytical tool...
2018-02-21 (first published: 2018-02-10)
56,690 reads
Recovering a TDE protected database without the Certificate
If you’ve been careful and done everything right when you’re setting up TDE then you shouldn’t run into this problem.
We...
2018-02-21
3,609 reads
SQL Server Updates Tricked Me for Years
When applying a new SQL Server cumulative update, hot fix, or upgrade SQL Server doesn’t always apply all the fixes...
2018-02-21
1,283 reads
Blogs
The flight recorder: Replaying what an AI agent did on my SQL Server
By Arun Sirpal
“What exactly did it do on my server?” is the first question a DBA...
Announcements from the Microsoft Fabric Community Conference — Barcelona 2026
By James Serra
Microsoft shared a broad set of Fabric, Power BI, and SQL updates at FabCon...
Au Revoir for now
By Steve Jones
No, I’m not quitting or retiring. Just going on vacation, but I leave tonight...
Forums
Let's Talk Certifications
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Let's Talk Certifications, which is...
The Hidden Security Risks of Role Combination in SSAS Tabular
Comments posted to this topic are about the item The Hidden Security Risks of...
The Empty Aggregate
Comments posted to this topic are about the item The Empty Aggregate
Question of the Day
The Empty Aggregate
I have this table in a SQL Server 2025 database:
CREATE TABLE [dbo].[CustomerOrder] ( [OrderID] [int] NULL, [CustomerID] [int] NULL, [total] [money] NULL ) ON [PRIMARY] GOWhat is returned from this code? (answers are for the sum and then the count)
SELECT SUM(total) AS sum,
COUNT(total) AS count
FROM dbo.CustomerOrder;
See possible answers