StraightforwardSQL

Blog Post

Inspecting TSQL Abstract Syntax Trees

TSQL ScriptDOM is a useful library for parsing scripts into an abstract syntax tree. I've built a web tool that helps visualize this tree as a learning exercise.
Foreword
I've leveraged...

2025-12-03 (first published: )

113 reads

Blog Post

KDA: Echoes of Deception - Case 3

The crime spree in Digitown is not ending. This time 20 cars have been stolen and we need to find where they’re stored.
The problem
This is the abridged case description....

2025-06-09 (first published: )

281 reads

Blog Post

KDA: Echoes of Deception - Case 2

The people of Digitown are being targeted by phishermen, and they need my help to stop them in their tracks.
The problem

The police have asked for our assistance, and we’ve...

2025-06-02 (first published: )

204 reads

Blog Post

KDA: Echoes of Deception - Case 1

Another KDA case: Digitown’s utility bills suddenly doubled for no good reason. With the election coming up, I got pulled in to figure out what went wrong. I’ve got...

2025-05-30 (first published: )

203 reads

Blog Post

Kusto Detective Agency - Intro

While I mostly write about SQL Server, I have a soft spot for Kusto. In this series, I will explore solutions to fun challenges collectively known as the Kusto...

2025-04-27 (first published: )

112 reads

Blog Post

Deploy at Low Priority

Learn how to deploy schema changes in an always-online SQL Server environment without a maintenance window. This utility reduces blocking and improves deployment success.
The problem
I attempted to deploy a...

2025-03-19 (first published: )

207 reads

Blog Post

Finding nested references

I originally planned this post just as an answer to DBA Stack Overflow question: How can I get the list of tables in all the stored procedure? After preparing...

2024-09-13 (first published: )

272 reads

Blogs

T-SQL Tuesday #198 Roundup: How Do You Detect Data Changes?

By

Thank you to everyone who participated in T-SQL Tuesday #198! When I wrote the...

Optimizing Redshift Performance by Configuring WLM Queues

By

Efficient query performance in Amazon Redshift often comes down to how well you manage...

PowerShell Strikes Back: Return of the Loop

By

Welcome back to PowerShell Strikes Back. We’re three weeks in, and the training is...

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Forums

Dealing with huge heap tables

By JasonO

Recently, our dev teams approach me for advice on improving their huge heap table...

Merge Replication failing with Error converting data type nvarchar to numeric

By Leo.Miller

After upgrading 2 Merge Replicated databases to SQL 2022 and re-establishing the Merge Replication...

Why Your Index Isn't Being Used? - Reading Execution Plans to Find the Real Culprit

By Sanket Parmar

Comments posted to this topic are about the item Why Your Index Isn't Being...

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Question of the Day

Distance Metric Algorithms

What are the distance metric algorithms that can be used in VECTOR_DISTANCE()?

See possible answers