Things SQL Server Setup Doesn’t Do – And Should
Brent Ozar on questions that SQL Server setup wizard should ask you, by default, to help you protect the data
2019-05-31
Database Administration
SQL 2016 Won’t Sent Mail
One of the more challenging components to configure on SQL Server is SQL Mail. I don’t know how many times I have had to try it multiple times before...
2019-05-14
Automating Log File Expansion
Max Vernon shows how you can automatically expand log files to optimize VLF counts: SQL Server Database Log file expansion can be fairly tedious if you need to make...
2019-05-14
Spring Cleaning Your Tables – And Forgetting Your Indexes. A Story of Compression
Anyone who has been either a kid or a parent has probably heard this story before. The child is sent to clean their room, which to your eyes looks...
2019-05-11
Setup SQL Server Alert to get automatically notified of database blockings
Suppose you want to or need to know anytime your SQL Server is experiencing blocking where queries are being blocked and it may or may not escalate to a...
The...
2019-04-17
Database Offline – Redux
A database can be offline at the time that you take over responsibility of the database. You will be asked when it was taken offline. This script will help...
The...
2019-04-15
What the heck is downtime, anyway?
There’s a lot of discussion about preventing downtime. As a DBA and IT professional, it’s my sworn duty to prevent downtime. I usually describe my job as DBA something...
2019-04-15
How do I let someone execute a SQL Agent job they don’t own?
In my last post I discussed the fact that SQL Ids can, in fact, be useful on an instance that ... Continue reading
The post How do I let someone...
2019-04-15
SET IMPLICIT_TRANSACTIONS ON Is One Hell of a Bad Idea
By default, when you run a query in SQL Server, your delete/update/insert (DUI) is finished as soon as your query finishes. That’s because the default behavior of SQL Server is IMPLICIT_TRANSACTIONS OFF – meaning, SQL Server doesn’t hold your queries open waiting for a COMMIT or ROLLBACK.
2018-03-14
3,761 reads
Changing Data Types on Large Tables: The INT to BIGINT Conundrum
Changing a data type seems like a simple task unless the table is quite large and downtime must be kept to a minimum. Danny Kruge walks you through the process he created to change an INT to a BIGINT in a large table.
2018-03-13
10,620 reads
Blogs
Ramblings about data communities and your contributions, no excuses
By DataOnWheels
I have been active in the data community throughout my career. I have met...
SQL Server Journey till 2025 (brief)
By Vinay Thakur
Quick Summary for Microsoft SQL Server till 2025, I am fortunate to be part...
Building Power BI Reports: Desktop vs Fabric
By James Serra
Why this comparison feels confusing If you’re a Power BI report author who’s just...
Forums
Multi-State Payroll Tax Issues 2026
Prepare for 2026 with this essential multi-state payroll tax issues 2026 webinar from Professionals...
Simulating Mercury’s Orbital Motion Using Pure T-SQL (NASA 2025 Dataset)
SQL Server is typically viewed as a transactional or analytical database engine. However, it...
Azure SQL Database | CREATE EVENT SESSION [Blocking_Capture] ON DATABASE
Hello, Is there a way in Azure SQL Database to change the 'Blocking Process...
Question of the Day
String Similarity I
On SQL Server 2025, when I run this, what is returned?
SELECT EDIT_DISTANCE_SIMILARITY('SQL Server', 'MySQL') See possible answers