Why Not Just Use VARCHAR(MAX)?
A while ago I was looking into some odd errors that were cropping up in an application, when I spotted that all the columns in a table were defined...
2025-06-30
59 reads
Blog Posts
A Six Week Break
Today is my last day of work for six weeks. I start my sabbatical Monday, or maybe this afternoon, and will be gone. I may or may not blog,...
2025-06-27
64 reads
Advice I Like: Focus on what’s important
Don’t let someone else’s urgency becomes your emergency. In fact, don’t be governed by the urgent of any sort. Focus on the important. The urgent is a tyrant. –...
2025-06-27 (first published: 2025-06-13)
449 reads
Build a Snapshot Backup Catalog in Pure Storage with SQL Server 2025’s Native REST API
I’m really excited to share some new functionality in SQL Server 2025 combined with some innovations in FlashArray’s REST API.
In this post, I’m going to show you how to...
2025-06-27
112 reads
Speaking at the 2025 PASS Data Community Summit
I will be back in Seattle this year attending the 2025 PASS Data Community Summit. This will mark my fourth year attending the Summit (I also attended one year...
2025-06-27
45 reads
Starting Points for Quantum Computing Learning
I didn't have these in my slides for the Techno Security & Digital Forensics Conference, but brought them up the web browser during the presentation. If you're looking at...
2025-06-27 (first published: 2025-06-09)
372 reads
The Book of Redgate: Motivation
Another of our values is this: Motivation isn’t about carrots and sticks. Constant oversight and the threat of punishment are incompatible with great, fulfilling work. We believe in creating...
2025-06-27
70 reads
Using a GenAI to Help Brent
Brent had a query exercise recently about train stations moving in some order and having overrides to this order in emergencies. I suppose he’s been traveling a lot lately...
2025-06-27
23 reads
2 Tips to a Working Schedule
When I watched the following video from Justin Sung, I realized that I am often guilty of the two problems he cites with regards to making my schedule work...
2025-06-26
27 reads
Monitoring SQL Server Performance with the Pure Storage FlashArray OpenMetrics Exporter
I’m excited to share a new open-source project I’ve been working on that combines two of my favorite areas: SQL Server and Pure Storage FlashArray performance monitoring. If you’ve...
2025-06-26
35 reads
Blogs
Future IT Roles – Agentic Architect and AI Boom!!
By Vinay Thakur
These days everything is changing to AI World, IT roles are getting changed and...
Free Webinar about Columnstore Indexes
I’m doing a small series on indexing basics for SQL Server, and on May...
PlanTrace: Stop Reading Redshift EXPLAIN Plans. Start Seeing Them
PlanTrace: Stop Reading Redshift EXPLAIN Plans. Start Seeing Them Introducing PlanTrace — a free, browser-based...
Forums
SPAM Issues May 2026
We suffered a SPAM attack from May 1-6, which unfortunately corresponded with time off...
SQL Password enforcing
Hi to all We have situation at a client where someone is illegally changing...
SQL Password enforcing
Hi to all We have situation at a client where someone is illegally changing...
Question of the Day
Creating a JSON Document III
I have this data in a table called dbo.NFLTeams
TeamID TeamName City YearEstablished ------ -------- ---- --------------- 1 Cowboys Dallas 1960 2 Eagles Philadelphia 1933 3 Packers Green Bay 1919 4 Chiefs Kansas City 1960 5 49ers San Francisco 1946 6 Broncos Denver 1960 7 Seahawks Seattle 1976 8 Patriots New England 1960If I run this code, how many rows are returned?
SELECT TOP 2
json_objectagg('Team' : TeamName)
FROM dbo.NFLTeams;
See possible answers