Maybe It Is DNS
It might be DNS is the problem more often in the future. Steve notes the attacks on this system are rising.
2021-10-23
111 reads
Database Weekly
What Do You Want to Know Before Negotiating Salary?
It's almost time for Brent Ozar's annual salary survey. Steve reminds you that you can influence the questions, but more importantly, take the survey and provide data for all of us.
2021-10-02
318 reads
All the Tools in Your Toolbox
I recently began writing an article to compare the performance of several window functions to traditional query methods. I began with my favorite function, LAG, but soon found that there were so many other ways to write the query that the article never covered the additional window functions. The article was quite fun to write, […]
2021-09-18
208 reads
What to do with more free time
Many data professionals have begun working remotely over the past year and a half which translates to less time spent commuting. In my own case, I’ve been a remote worker for almost ten years, but before that I spent two hours on the road each day. This got me wondering what folks have done with […]
2021-08-28
262 reads
What Counts for a DBA: Skill
Practice makes perfect:” right? Well, not exactly. The reality of it all is that this saying is an untrustworthy aphorism. I discovered this in my “younger” days when I was a passionate tennis player, practicing and playing 20+ hours a week. No matter what my passion level was, without some serious coaching (and perhaps a […]
2021-08-14
247 reads
Deploying SQL Server Automatically
I've had to install SQL Server many times over the years. Often it has felt that most of these installs were one-offs, a dev server, a new QA instance, a production server for a brand new application. A few times I've had to recover from disaster, including restoring master, but often, I just installed SQL […]
2021-07-31
476 reads
Taking time off
Time is a precious commodity, and so much of our time is dedicated to working. IT professionals often have jobs with good benefits, including generous paid time off. It’s important to get away from work to relax and recharge, but, sometimes, it’s difficult to take those days that belong to us. Even when we do […]
2021-07-17
102 reads
What Counts For a DBA: Ego
Leaving aside, for a second, Freud’s psychoanalytical definitions, the term “ego” generally refers to a person’s sense of self, and their self-esteem. In casual usage, however, it usually appears in the adjectival form, “egotistical” (most often followed by “jerk”). You don’t need to be a jerk to be a DBA; humility is important. However, ego is important […]
2021-06-26
290 reads
What counts for a DBA: Foresight
Of all the valuable attributes of a DBA, from passion to humility to practicality, perhaps one of the most important attributes may turn out to be the most seemingly nebulous: foresight. According to Free Dictionary, foresight is the "perception of the significance and nature of events before they have occurred". Foresight does not come naturally to most people, as the […]
2021-05-15
314 reads
Looking Forward to SQL Server vNext
Releases of on-premises SQL Server arrived quite rapidly for a few years with seven releases during the years spanning 2008 and 2019. While it has technically been less than two years since SQL Server 2019 reached general availability in November 2019, it feels like ages since we have heard any news about what’s coming next. […]
2021-04-24
1,831 reads
Blogs
A New Word: Etherness
By Steve Jones
etherness – n. the wistful feeling of looking around a gathering of loved ones,...
Vibe Coding a Login Tracking System
By Steve Jones
A customer was asking about tracking logins and logouts in Redgate Monitor. We don’t...
4 CPE Opportunity (Virtual) for Charity
By Brian Kelley
Every year, the South Carolina State Internal Auditors Association and the South Carolina Midlands...
Forums
T-SQL in SQL Server 2025: The || Operator
Comments posted to this topic are about the item T-SQL in SQL Server 2025:...
Your Value from a Conference
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Your Value from a Conference
UNISTR Basics
Comments posted to this topic are about the item UNISTR Basics
Question of the Day
UNISTR Basics
What does this code return in SQL Server 2025+? (assume the database has an appropriate collation)
SELECT UNISTR('Hello 4E16754C') AS 'A Classic';
A: 
B: 
See possible answers