SSDT: Scripting static data from SQL Server (video)
Out of the box, SSDT covers objects on a database level, like tables, stored procedures, views, functions, etc. That means schema only. In many cases, there is a need...
2020-04-27
107 reads
Blog Posts
T-SQL Tuesday Live–28 Apr 2020
Once again, I’ll be live tomorrow, ready to just chat, shoot the breeze, answer tech questions, anything. No agenda, but I’m on for an hour. If you’re bored, struggling,...
2020-04-27
15 reads
What is the datatype SQL_VARIANT
The SQL_VARIANT data type is an interesting beast. It is a data type that can store most types of data. ... Continue reading
2020-04-27 (first published: 2020-04-16)
613 reads
Stairway to Microsoft Azure SQL Database Part 1 : Deployment Options
Recently I started working with Azure SQL Database. It took some time for me to understand the concepts of the Azure SQL database. Earlier I have experience in AWS...
2020-04-26
17 reads
Stairway to Microsoft Azure SQL Database Part 1 : Deployment Options
Recently I started working with Azure SQL Database. It took some time for me to understand the concepts of the Azure SQL database. Earlier I have experience in AWS...
2020-04-26
314 reads
I’m Speaking at #DataWeekender
With all our in-person events cancelled for the foreseeable future, I was so excited to find that some community folks are not sitting back and waiting for the social...
2020-04-25
28 reads
3D Printing for Covid19
A friend tagged me in a Facebook post about a surgical mask strap that had been remixed by a Boy Scout for faster printing and less filament usage. My...
2020-04-24 (first published: 2020-04-13)
454 reads
Daily Coping 24 Apr 2020
I’ve started to add a daily coping tip to the SQLServerCentral newsletter, which is helping me deal with the issues in the world. I’m adding my responses for each...
2020-04-24
36 reads
Data Bits – Episode 7 – Mary Elizabeth McNeely
20+ year Oracle DBA Mary Elizabeth stopped by the Data Bits virtual studio today! Quotables: “Corona Curls”, “rolling around in the food” and “Capitalist Pirate” You can reach Mary...
2020-04-24
21 reads
Database classifications have changed
Some time back I wrote about the new data classification features in Azure and SQL Server Management Studio. If you’ve done quite a bit of work classifying your data...
2020-04-24 (first published: 2020-04-11)
1,001 reads
Blogs
Narrow Task Decomposition in AI Pipeline Agents
A nightly load into sales_fact fails. Ask an orchestrating agent to break down the...
Car Update: August 2026
By Steve Jones
It’s been some time since I provided a car update, so I decided to...
Microsoft Fabric OneLake Shortcuts: When to Use Them and When Not To
By James Serra
An architecture scenario Imagine separate Sales, Finance, Shared Data, and Executive Analytics workspaces. Sales...
Forums
Managing Incidents and Fighting Fires
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Backing Up a DMK
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The Quiet Part
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Question of the Day
Backing Up a DMK
In SQL Server 2025, I have a database with a Database Masker Key (DMK). I want to back up this key and keep a copy offline. When do I have to open this key before running the backup?
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