A New Word: Tangency
tangency– n. a fleeting glimpse of what might have been. I tend to live in the real world as it is, not too dreamy or wishful that things were...
2025-02-21
17 reads
Blog Posts
Creating a GitHub Actions Self-Hosted Runner
I had to demo the Flyway Autopilot system recently and created a GitHub Actions runner as a part of that. This post documents how this went. First, if you...
2025-02-21 (first published: 2025-02-10)
227 reads
Free PostgreSQL Performance Monitoring with pgNow
I’ve been putting together a new PostgreSQL session called “Performance Monitoring for the Absolute Beginner.” There are several ways to get an understanding of how well your queries are...
2025-02-21 (first published: 2025-02-13)
338 reads
Join me at the Microsoft Fabric Community Conference with a discount code
I’m excited to be speaking at the Microsoft Fabric Community Conference this year, which takes place March 31 through April 2 in Las Vegas, Nevada. I will be co-presenting...
2025-02-20
17 reads
Join me at the Microsoft Fabric Community Conference with a discount code
I’m excited to be speaking at the Microsoft Fabric Community Conference this year, which takes place March 31 through April 2 in Las Vegas, Nevada. I will be co-presenting...
2025-02-20
12 reads
Join me at the Microsoft Fabric Community Conference with a discount code
I’m excited to be speaking at the Microsoft Fabric Community Conference this year, which takes place March 31 through April 2 in Las Vegas, Nevada. I will be co-presenting...
2025-02-20
7 reads
Making a PostgreSQL Backup in a Container
I needed to back up a PostgreSQL database as a part of the repro for an issue I had. I hadn’t ever made a backup of PostgreSQL, so this...
2025-02-19
143 reads
SQL Server Migration Using a Distributed Availability Group
SQL Server migrations are a headache, ask anyone who’s been through the pain of moving a reasonably large server and I’m sure they will agree. There are all sorts...
2025-02-19 (first published: 2025-02-05)
2,205 reads
The hell of Git line endings and the (not so) simple fix
I wrote a stream-of-consciousness post a few months ago about what I do in my day job at Microsoft, working in the Database Docs team. Basically we spend most...
2025-02-19 (first published: 2025-02-12)
343 reads
Data Strategy Checklist for 2025
Reflecting on data strategy projects from 2024, key lessons include starting with clear business objectives, prioritizing data ethics and security, and fostering collaboration between business and IT teams. Also,...
2025-02-17
30 reads
Blogs
No Shortcuts for the SQLCMD Batch Terminator: #SQLNewBlogger
By Steve Jones
I was messing around with SQLCMD and I realized something I hadn’t known. I’ve...
Where Is My SQL Agent? Running Scheduled Jobs Against Azure SQL Database
By gbargsley
One of the first things I review when I inherit a new SQL Server...
AgentDBA vs Critical SQL Server
By Arun Sirpal
It’s 07:43. Someone’s already left a message. “Something’s wrong with the DB server.” You...
Forums
Increment a number in a SQL Query based on a value
I have an issue where I have a Bill of Material list of items...
Follow Your Hunch
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Follow Your Hunch
What Happens When You Ask a Local AI to Query Your Database?
Comments posted to this topic are about the item What Happens When You Ask...
Question of the Day
Detecting Characters
I have a SQL Server 2022 English default installation on a server. I want to detect if there are any upper case characters in rows and I have this code:
SELECT CustomerNameID,
CustomerName
FROM dbo.CustomerName
WHERE CustomerName = LOWER(CustomerName)
Here is the sample data I am testing with:
CustomerNameID CustomerName 1 John Smith 2 Sarah Johnson 3 MICHAEL WILLIAMS 4 JENNIFER BROWN 5 david jones 6 emily davis 7 Robert Miller 8 LISA WILSON 9 christopher moore 10 Amanda TaylorHow many rows are returned? See possible answers