Speaking at SQL Saturday #445 - Raleigh, NC - October 10
I will be speaking this weekend at SQL Saturday #445 - Raleigh, NC. If you are in the area, please come...
2015-10-07
481 reads
Everyday SQL
PSSDiag Configuration Manager – A Companion for SQLNexus
Have you ever called Microsoft Customer Support for help with a SQL Server performance issue? The engineer will typically send...
2015-07-21
1,542 reads
Use Trace Flag 902 to Recover from a Cumulative Update Failure
Recently, I ran into a critical error while I was helping a customer troubleshoot an issue in SQL Server. That...
2015-07-14 (first published: 2015-07-07)
28,923 reads
Exams 70-457 & 70-458 - Transition Your MCTS on SQL Server 2008 to MCSA: SQL Server 2012
This past week I finally completed the 70-458 exam to upgrade my certification to MSCA: SQL Server 2012. I never...
2015-06-24
725 reads
Use PsPing When Working in Azure IaaS
Recently I’ve been learning more about how Azure functions and how it can help my customers. One of the best...
2015-04-28
1,050 reads
SQL Nexus Might Just Save Your Bacon
The year is 2015, and I’m still surprised by how many people have never heard of SQL Nexus; although it...
2015-03-10
1,667 reads
SQL Cruise Caribbean 2015 Recap
UPDATED: Don't just take my word. Read the feedback from others.
SQL Cruise Caribbean 2015: More Than A Cruise With Classes....
2015-02-24
1,114 reads
Get Out There and Challenge Yourself
It’s been almost five months since I posted my last article, and so much has changed since then. I have...
2015-02-11 (first published: 2015-02-03)
6,569 reads
PowerPoint Slides Available for Download
I promised that I would post the slide decks for my presentations, and now I have finally followed through on...
2015-02-02
684 reads
Monitor the Number of Deleted Rows in a Clustered Columnstore Index
In some of my previous posts, I have talked about how to create Columnstore indexes. Now I’d like to discuss...
2014-08-21
2,292 reads
Blogs
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...
Monday Monitor Tips: SQL Auditing Preview
By Steve Jones
One of the features we advocates have been advocating for is a better way...
SQL Server 2025 CU1 Fixes the Docker Desktop AVX Issue on macOS
Microsoft fixed the AVX instruction issue in SQL Server 2025 CU1. The container now...
Forums
25 Years of SQL Server Central
Comments posted to this topic are about the item 25 Years of SQL Server...
The Decoded Value
Comments posted to this topic are about the item The Decoded Value
Deploying SQL Server Developer Edition in Kubernetes: A Cost-Effective Alternative to RDS
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Deploying SQL Server Developer Edition...
Question of the Day
The Decoded Value
In SQL Server 2025, what is returned from this code:
DECLARE @message VARCHAR(50) = 'Hello SQL Server 2025!'; DECLARE @encoded VARCHAR(MAX); SET @encoded = BASE64_ENCODE(CAST(@message AS VARBINARY(1000))); SELECT BASE64_DECODE(@encoded)See possible answers