“SQL Server Is Slow” Part 4 of 4
Parts 1, 2 and 3 got you to the (SQL) engine room. Now we use community-trusted tools to find what’s going on, fix it safely, and hopefully keep it...
2025-10-07
188 reads
Blog Posts
How to Install DBeaver and Connect to a PostgreSQL Instance
Whether you’re a seasoned DBA or just exploring database tools, DBeaver offers a powerful, cross-platform GUI for interacting with PostgreSQL and many other databases. As a continuation of the...
2025-10-07
182 reads
From Firefighting to Future‑Building: SQL Server 2025 and the New DataOps Mindset
There are moments in technology when the ground shifts beneath our feet. Moments when the tools we once thought of as reliable utilities suddenly become engines of transformation. SQL...
2025-10-06
153 reads
Installing Old Versions of PowerShell Modules with Their Dependencies
I don’t recall where this came up (probably in SQLSlack), but I had a need to install an older version of dbatools to test something related to loading the...
2025-10-06 (first published: 2025-09-16)
148 reads
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
469 reads
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)
238 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
459 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)
221 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)
515 reads
Blogs
A bespoke reporting solution doesn’t have to cost the earth
By ChrisJenkins
You could be tolerating limited reporting because there isn’t an off the shelf solution...
Presenting with Visual Studio Code
A while back I wrote a quick post on setting up key mappings in...
Advice I Like: In 100 Years
By Steve Jones
In 100 years a lot of what we take to be true now will...
Forums
AllocationType as ROW_OVERFLOW_DATA
Hello, I inherited a number of tables with like 20-30 column using nvarchar(256) in...
is it true we cant debug c# scripts in ssis anymore under vs
Hi, i'm running vs2022. I'm trying out a c# script that i'd like to...
Question of the Day
Missing the Jaro Winkler Distance
I upgraded a SQL Server 2019 instance to SQL Server 2025. I wanted to test the fuzzy string search functions. I run this code:
SELECT JARO_WINKLER_DISTANCE('tim', 'tom')
I get this error message:Msg 195, Level 15, State 10, Line 1 'JARO_WINKLER_DISTANCE' is not a recognized built-in function name.What is wrong? See possible answers