No Degree Needed
Steve doesn't think you need a degree to work in technology and more companies agree with this all the time.
2023-11-11
93 reads
Database Weekly
A rose by any other name would not be a rose
William Shakespeare once wrote in the play Romeo and Juliet: “What's in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other word would smell as sweet.” It is a beautiful sentiment in that context, and even still you might say that there is some truth to this saying in a lot of ways. […]
2023-11-04
1,640 reads
Bad Culture Bad Security
Another company has hard-coded credentials, which Steve feels are a sign of bad culture.
2023-10-23
138 reads
Confidence
Today, I want to blog about something I have only limited knowledge of … confidence. Okay, I understand what confidence is, and I have seen it before in the real world and not just in biographical movies. In fact, I have met quite a few highly confident people. In almost every case, it was immediately […]
2023-10-07
83 reads
Servicing SQL Server
I've been traveling in Europe this week, partially for holiday and partially for work. It's been a nice break, and it's always interesting to experience the world in different places, away from the United States where I've spent most of my life. I get to come often, and I enjoy the experience, but I'm sometimes […]
2023-09-16
126 reads
What Counts For a DBA: Manners
When most people were young, they had someone telling them to "Mind your manners." Such classics as: "Keep your elbows off of the table," "Use a fork," "Put on deodorant," as well as "Don't chew with your mouth open" were bandied about like there were laws of nature. However, manners differ significantly from laws in […]
2023-08-12
136 reads
The Choice of SQL Server Version
Brent Ozar has his quarterly report on SQL Server versions and SQL Server 2022 isn't being used as much. Does that make sense to you? What versions are you installing?
2023-07-22
434 reads
Keep your Resume Reasonable
The other day, I was in a Twitter discussion interviewing people for technical positions. This reminded me of one of my favorite things to do in interviews… reading the list of qualifications/skills and asking questions about its contents. If you put it on the resume, I assume you know something about it and are willing […]
2023-07-15
135 reads
2023-06-24
163 reads
Validating Password Expiration
Steve notes that password expiration is important for SQL Logins, but he knows this isn't always configured when logins are created, or checked later to see if it is still enabled.
2023-05-27
562 reads
Blogs
The Book of Redgate: Spread across the world
By Steve Jones
This was Redgate in 2010, spread across the globe. First the EU/US Here’s Asia...
Merry Christmas
By John
Today is Christmas and while I do not expect anybody to actual be reading...
Self-Hosting a Photo Server the Whole Family Can Use
By Bert Wagner
Until recently, my family's 90,000+ photos have been hidden away in the depths of...
Forums
Happy Holidays, Let's Do Nerdy Stuff
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Happy Holidays, Let's Do Nerdy...
UNISTR Escape
Comments posted to this topic are about the item UNISTR Escape
Celebrating Tomorrow
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Celebrating Tomorrow
Question of the Day
UNISTR Escape
In SQL Server 2025, I run this command:
SELECT UNISTR('*3041*308A*304C\3068 and good night', '*') as "A Classic";
What is returned? (assume the database has an appropriate collation)
A: 
B: 
C: 
See possible answers