The Basic Symmetric Key

Rollback or Not?

The Low Deadlock Priority

Alternatives To SQL Server 2022 Built-in function GREATEST

If you haven’t already heard, SQL Server 2022 introduced a new built-in system function called GREATEST. Simply put, it is to a set of columns, variables, expressions etc. what the MAX function is to a set of values (i.e., rows) of a single column or expression.

The Basics of Using GENERATE_SERIES()

This article shows how GENERATE_SERIES can be used with a few practical examples and a warning on parameters.

Closing a Symmetric Key

A Reuseable Window

GENERATE_SERIES() Breaks Minimal Logging

tl;dr The title says it all. Prologue One of the keys to my personal learning is that, very early in my database career, I taught myself how to make lot’s of rows of Random Constrained Data in a comparatively short time. With the help of a few good folks over time, the method has been […]

Yet Another Reason to Not Use sp_ in your SQL Server Object Names

In 2012, Aaron Bertrand said most everything I knew (and a bit more) about the issues with using the sp_ prefix. Procedures prefixed with sp_ have special powers when placed in the the master database in that it can be executed anywhere on the server after that.

One use case for NOT using schema prefixes

I’ve long been a huge advocate for always referencing objects with a schema prefix in SQL Server.

In spite of what may be a controversial title to many of my regular blog readers, I don’t really want you to stop that practice in most of your T-SQL code, because the schema prefix is important and useful most of the time. At Stack Overflow, though, there is a very specific pattern we use where not specifying the schema is beneficial.