SSIS Parameters
SSIS parameters help to ease the process of passing runtime values to SSIS packages. For values that can change over time, using parameters in SSIS is an ideal means...
2020-07-14 (first published: 2020-07-02)
480 reads
Tim Mitchell
Secure Your Data Prep Area
I’ve been building ETL processes for many years, and I’ve learned two universal truths: data preparation is messy, and you must always secure your data prep area. A data...
2020-06-18
4 reads
Lessons from Iowa’s Caucus Debacle
Earlier this week, the state of Iowa held its caucuses to choose each political party’s nominee for November’s presidential election. Being the first state in each election cycle to...
2020-02-11 (first published: 2020-02-06)
786 reads
Using the JOIN Function in Reporting Services
The JOIN() function in SQL Server Reporting Services is a handy tool that allows you to turn a list into a delimited string value. This function accepts two parameters,...
2019-12-22
2,477 reads
Using the JOIN Function in Reporting Services
The JOIN() function in SQL Server Reporting Services is a handy tool that allows you to turn a list into a delimited string value. This function accepts two parameters,...
2019-12-22
6 reads
Checking SSIS Variable Values During Runtime
As anyone who reads my blog on a regular basis knows, I’m a big fan of using dynamic configurations, including SSIS parameters variables, to make my ETL architectures as...
2020-01-03 (first published: 2019-12-21)
1,110 reads
Find Your Missing SSIS Toolbox
Visual Studio and its business intelligence variant SQL Server Data Tools share a very powerful but extremely busy interface. If you happen to close out of one of the...
2019-12-20
134 reads
One-Click Package Restart in SSIS
This quick tip is likely to be the most brief of the entire collection, but is also one of the most practical. When testing SSIS packages during development in...
2019-12-19
13 reads
SSIS Layout Formatting Options
Most folks I know go to one extreme or the other when it comes to the visual layout of SQL Server Integration Services packages: either they don’t care a...
2019-12-18
823 reads
Right-Click File Options in SSMS and SSDT
Ordinarily I wouldn’t blog solely about a set of right-click options in an application, but in this Eleven Days of Festivus series I’m sharing some quick tips that have...
2019-12-17
221 reads
Blogs
PowerPoint to HTML with Claude AI
By Steve Jones
I had an idea for an animated view of a sales tool, and started...
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...
Forums
Delta Lake: The Definitive Guide: Modern Data Lakehouse Architectures with Data Lakes
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Databricks Data Intelligence Platform: Unlocking the GenAI Revolution
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Storytelling with Data: Let's Practice!
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Storytelling with Data: Let's Practice!
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