Running SQLCMD II

SSMS Copilot is Messing With Your AI Prompts

You might notice that the advice you get from Copilot in SSMS isn’t very good, but it isn’t necessarily AI in general. Part of the problem is something specific about SSMS Copilot and the way it prompts LLMs, and I wish I could tell you exactly what it is, but I can’t because I don’t have access to how SSMS is changing your prompts.

Running SQLCMD I

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.

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.

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?

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.

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 […]

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 […]

Working with SQL Server in Visual Studio Code

Learn how you can work with SQL Server in VS Code.