Book Review – Fundamentals of Data Engineering
This book was recommended by some of my colleagues, so I decided to give it a try. After finishing the book, I was pleased that I did. As the...
2024-06-24 (first published: 2024-06-05)
482 reads
Introduction to OpenAI and LLMs – Part 2
My previous blog post on this topic was Introduction to OpenAI and LLMs, the “what” part (what is OpenAI and LLM), and this blog post will talk about the...
2025-01-03 (first published: 2024-06-05)
1,314 reads
Large System Databases on SQL Server
This one is an oldie in my blog drafts, but a goodie! So, I will finally post it after nearly three years of sitting around. Thank you, past self,...
2024-06-04
84 reads
Free Advanced SQL Course for June: Don’t Miss Out!
Summer is here, and it's the perfect opportunity to enhance your SQL expertise with LearnSQL's special offer. For the entire month of June 2024, they are giving away their...
2024-06-04
63 reads
How to give developers access to Query Store
Let’s have devs look at their own query performance. Yes, please, sign me up for that! Sometimes, it’s hard for me to know the best course of action, especially...
2024-06-24 (first published: 2024-06-03)
634 reads
Sharpen Your SQL Skills: June’s Challenge Awaits!
This June, LearnSQL is throwing down the gauntlet with a fresh SQL Practice challenge. Dive into a real-world gym database and help Christine, the gym's manager, wrangle her data....
2024-06-01
74 reads
Denver Dev Day – Best Practices for Database Deployments Resources
I delivered a talk today on database deployment best practices at the Denver Dev Days 2024. This is a great event, and I have been lucky enough to attend...
2024-05-31
27 reads
A New Word: desanté
desanté – n. the brooding delirium of being sick, which makes time slow to a trickly and turns even the most pathetic of tasks into monumental struggles, until the...
2024-05-31
22 reads
What happens when we drop a column on a SQL Server table? Where's my space?
This article was initially posted on SQLServerCentral @ 2024-04-26.
Short answer: The column is marked as ‘deleted’ and will stop being visible/usable.
But, most importantly - The record/table size will remain...
2024-05-29
267 reads
Why the masters and what lies ahead
I recently graduated with a Master’s in Strategic Communication from the University of Delaware. Attending the graduation ceremony with my sister made it a truly memorable experience. Here’s a...
2024-06-17 (first published: 2024-05-28)
303 reads
Blogs
Microsoft announces new cybersecurity AI multi-model
By Brian Kelley
Yesterday, July 27, 2026, Microsoft announced a new cybersecurity effort called Project Perception. Included...
Getting the SQL Server MCP Server Running
By Steve Jones
If you’ve wanted a SQL Server MCP server for your databases, it’s available. The...
Introducing azsql-migration-test: Test and Validate Azure SQL Database Migrations
Introducing azsql-migration-test, a small open-source CLI that validates your Azure SQL Database migrations against...
Forums
Symmetric Key Encryption
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The “Successful Login” Dilemma: Why Your Login Auditing Strategy Might Be Hurting Your Server
Comments posted to this topic are about the item The “Successful Login” Dilemma: Why...
Building Your Own Software
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Building Your Own Software
Question of the Day
Symmetric Key Encryption
If I run this statement in SQL Server 2025, how is the password encrypted?
CREATE SYMMETRIC KEY MySymmetricKey WITH ALGORITHM = AES_256, KEY_SOURCE = 'My secret key source passphrase', IDENTITY_VALUE = 'My secret identity value' ENCRYPTION BY PASSWORD = 'S&perS#cretP@ssword7'; GOSee possible answers