Natural vs Artificial Primary Keys
There has been a long standing debate over the use of a natural primary key vs an artificial one. I...
2016-08-29
1,223 reads
SQLStudies
Copying an on-premise Database to an Azure SQL Database
Continuing my exploration of Azure the next logical step seemed to be copying an on-premise database up to the cloud....
2016-09-06 (first published: 2016-08-24)
1,833 reads
Cloud Security
In case you hadn’t noticed I’ve recently started looking at the cloud and what it entails. Well one of those...
2016-08-22
647 reads
RBAR vs Batch
Many years ago Jeff Moden (of SQL Server Central fame) came up with the concept of RBAR. Row-By-Agonizing-Row. At it’s...
2016-08-25 (first published: 2016-08-17)
2,713 reads
Temper, Temper
Possibly the single most influential event in my career happened over 25 years ago. I lost my temper at a...
2016-08-15
1,049 reads
Write-Only permissions
Yep, that’s right, you heard me. Write-Only not Read-Only. I was presenting SQL Server Security Basics at NTSSUG the other...
2016-08-11
616 reads
Azure: What’s the difference between SQL Database and SQL Server?
If you want to blog T-SQL Tuesday is a great way to get started. On the first Tuesday of each...
2016-08-09
602 reads
What’s the difference between LEFT and RIGHT OUTER JOINs?
A DBA walked into a bar, saw a couple of tables, and asked “Can I JOIN you?”
There are several different...
2016-08-03
1,290 reads
Using impersonation to allow a task without granting the required permission.
I use impersonation on a regular basis for a number of different tasks. This one is pretty basic but can...
2016-08-03 (first published: 2016-08-01)
2,030 reads
When was this database restored?
I frequently need to know where backups went and I restore those backups for operational recovery on a regular basis....
2016-07-27
855 reads
Blogs
Resetting on the AI hype train
By Brian Kelley
There's a great article from MIT Technology Review about resetting on the hype of...
A New Word: Etherness
By Steve Jones
etherness – n. the wistful feeling of looking around a gathering of loved ones,...
Vibe Coding a Login Tracking System
By Steve Jones
A customer was asking about tracking logins and logouts in Redgate Monitor. We don’t...
Forums
The Microsoft SQL Year in Review
Comments posted to this topic are about the item The Microsoft SQL Year in...
T-SQL in SQL Server 2025: The || Operator
Comments posted to this topic are about the item T-SQL in SQL Server 2025:...
Your Value from a Conference
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Your Value from a Conference
Question of the Day
UNISTR Basics
What does this code return in SQL Server 2025+? (assume the database has an appropriate collation)
SELECT UNISTR('Hello 4E16754C') AS 'A Classic';
A: 
B: 
See possible answers