A Tool is Better than a Script
Tools are important to DBAs, but they need to be reliable, both in what they do, and how they work.
2026-05-01
149 reads
Tools for development
Query Hint Recommendation Tool in SSMS 22
SQL Server Management Studio keeps adding features, but unless you look you probably don’t notice. In this article, we look at the new Query Hint Recommendation Tool in SSMS 2022 and how this can be used.
2026-03-18
Getting Started with mssql-python for Data Developers
rogrammatic interaction with SQL Server or Azure SQL from a Python script is possible using a driver. A popular driver has been pyodbc that can be used standalone or with a SQLAlchemy wrapper. SQLAlchemy on its own is the Python SQL toolkit and Object Relational Mapper for developers. In the end of 2025 Microsoft released v1 of their own Python SQL driver called mssql-python. How do you get started using mssql-python for programmatic access to your SQL Server?
2026-03-11
How Well Does the MSSQL Extension in VSCode Work?
A short look at the MSSQL extension for VS Code, getting started with connections and running queries.
2025-09-22
9,239 reads
A First Look at SSMS 21
This isn't really a first look, per se. I've seen Erin Stellato present on this a few times in MVP sessions and at the PASS Data Community Summit. However, this is a look on my machine, where I'm in control. The new version preview was announced recently, and this looks at the new process to […]
2024-11-25
18,722 reads
Using Registered Servers in SSMS
One of the features in SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) that I find very useful is to have a list of registered servers and databases in SSMS. This lets me quickly pick from a number of servers rather than flipping the drop down in the connection dialog. This post looks at this feature and how […]
2024-07-31
7,263 reads
2024-06-17
16,503 reads
Managing SQL Agent in Azure Data Studio
This article continues my series on ADS and examines the SQL Agent extension.
2024-05-17
2,127 reads
Database Dashboards in Azure Data Studio
Azure Data Studio (ADS) is a lightweight IDE built on Visual Studio Code. I've written a few articles on how the tool works, and this one continues the series. In this article, I want to look at the database dashboards and how you can customize them. The other articles in this series on ADS works […]
2024-05-03
3,316 reads
Exporting and Importing Registered Servers in SSMS
This article shows how to import and export a list of registered servers from SSMS.
2024-04-29
6,169 reads
Blogs
Track SQL Server Configuration Changes Using the Error Log
By SQLPals
Track SQL Server Configuration Changes Using the Error Log If you...
Data Engineering Books Worth Having on Your Shelf (or your tablet)
Good documentation gets you started. Good books get you deep. After years of working...
SSMS Evaluation – future ready
By Vinay Thakur
In previous posts, we looked at the SQL Server engine. for us DBAs, the...
Forums
SQL Server Showing Out of Space But Plenty of Drive Space
We have a SQL Server installed. We have a 500GB drive for the database....
Creating a JSON Document IV
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Creating a JSON Document IV
Restoring Azure Key Vault Keys and Validating SQL Server TDE Recovery: Level 7 of the Stairway to TDE
By VishnuGupthanSQLPowershellDBA
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Restoring Azure Key Vault Keys...
Question of the Day
Creating a JSON Document IV
I have this data in a table called dbo.NFLTeams
TeamID TeamName City YearEstablished ------ -------- ---- --------------- 1 Cowboys Dallas 1960 2 Eagles Philadelphia 1933 3 Packers Green Bay 1919 4 Chiefs Kansas City 1960 5 49ers San Francisco 1946 6 Broncos Denver 1960 7 Seahawks Seattle 1976 8 Patriots New England 1960If I run this code, how many rows are returned?
SELECT YearEstablished, json_objectagg(city : TeamName) FROM dbo.NFLTeams GROUP BY YearEstablished;See possible answers