macOS Tahoe breaks SQL Server on Docker containers on Apple silicon
The honeymoon is over, and macOS 26 Tahoe broke the Rosetta 2 emulation layer with SQL Server 2025 RC 1 running in a Docker container. I know it was...
2025-10-06
455 reads
Blog Posts
Monday Monitor Tips: The Jobs Report
A customer wanted a report they could email to their boss about jobs, something that showed failures. This isn’t hard to get in Redgate Monitor, though it is manual...
2025-10-06 (first published: 2025-09-22)
237 reads
Why Developers Shouldn’t Have sysadmin access in SQL Server
Why Developers Shouldn’t Have sysadmin access in SQL Server
7 reasons—and exactly what to do instead
It can feel “faster” to hand developers sysadmin. In reality, it’s like giving them the master...
2025-10-06
451 reads
A New Word: Ecstatic Shock
ecstatic shock – n. a surge of energy upon catching a glimpse from someone you like, which scrambles your ungrounded circuits and tempts you to chase after that feeling...
2025-10-03
22 reads
Solving SQL Server Mysteries with a Whole Gang of Sleuths -Scooby Dooing Episode 4
One thing I’ve always loved about the Scooby-Doo cartoon is that he never solved a mystery alone. Scooby and Shaggy could sniff out a clue between snacks, but it...
2025-10-03 (first published: 2025-09-10)
218 reads
Troubleshooting SQL Server – Starting with the Error Log
We’ve all been there. Someone walks up and asks, “Is SQL Server having issues?” What’s your first move? For me, it starts with the SQL Server Error log. I...
2025-10-03 (first published: 2025-09-11)
513 reads
SELECT *
SELECT * feels convenient, but in SQL Server it bloats I/O, burns network bandwidth, blocks covering-index usage, and makes code brittle when schemas change. Specify only the columns you...
2025-10-02
36 reads
The CDO’s Playbook for AI Driven Decision Making
The New Arena of Leadership The role of the Chief Data Officer is no longer about governance alone. It is about vision. It is about turning data into the...
2025-10-02
15 reads
AI Model Size, Parameters and Download
At SQL Saturday Boston 2025, I gave a presentation on local LLMs and there was a great question that I wasn’t sure about. Someone asked about the download size...
2025-10-01
20 reads
Modify Power BI page visibility and active status with Semantic Link Labs
Setting page visibility and the active page are often overlooked last steps when publishing a Power BI report. It’s easy to forget the active page since it’s just set...
2025-10-01 (first published: 2025-09-09)
166 reads
Blogs
Claude Code Helps Analyze Test Data Manager Log Files
By Steve Jones
I had a customer ask about analyzing their Test Data Manager (TDM) usage to...
PowerPoint to HTML with Claude AI
By Steve Jones
I had an idea for an animated view of a sales tool, and started...
Don’t Miss Out – SQL Server Query Tuning Fundamentals Starts Next Monday!
Next Monday, February 9, 2026, my one-day live online training SQL Server Query Tuning...
Forums
Why the following cmds in sequence do not work
I need to delete rows from both the temporal main and history tables. The...
When SQL Server Central Went Down
Comments posted to this topic are about the item When SQL Server Central Went...
The String Distance I
Comments posted to this topic are about the item The String Distance I
Question of the Day
The String Distance I
In SQL Server 2025, what is returned by this code:
SELECT EDIT_DISTANCE('tim', 'tom')
Assume preview features are enabled. See possible answers