Early Software
This week Steve Jones reminisces about the first software he used. He asks you what inspired you to start working with computers.
2013-02-22
111 reads
Editorials
Fix the Little Things
There are any number of small, annoying or tedious things in SQL Server and Steve Jones makes a case for getting them fixed. Today's editorial was originally published on Nov 11, 2008. It is being re-run as Steve is out of town.
2013-02-21
150 reads
Life is Like a Manure Spreader
Things on the ranch inspire Steve Jones in the rest of his life. He's one you might not have thought about. Today's editorial was originally published on Nov 3, 2008. It is being re-run as Steve is out of town.
2013-02-20 (first published: 2008-11-03)
206 reads
Are Triggers a "Legacy" Feature?
It is late evening. Something is wrong with a database. You narrow down the possibilities, getting more frustrated and puzzled. Stay calm. Check the inputs systematically. No! The data going into that table is right, but when you then read it in the table, it's wrong. Why did I stop believing in the supernatural? Then it hits you. Every time it comes as a surprise. They're using triggers. (This editorial was originally published on Nov 10, 2008)
2013-02-19 (first published: 2008-11-10)
624 reads
The Group Account
Our desktop OSes have evolved to support group accounts, but much of the ecosystems around them do not and many mobile and tablet devices do not. Why don't they?
2013-02-13
86 reads
Data Freedom and Regulation
There are a lot of regulations around data in the medical field. Most of the exceed HIPAA, but end up causing confusion and problems. Steve Jones thinks simplication is important if our technology systems are to support future regulations.
2013-02-11
93 reads
Rethinking Your Design
This week Steve Jones notices some good advice from Brent Ozar and the fastest query in your database.
2013-02-11
223 reads
Hunting Developers
Steve Jones is up in the Redmond area at Microsoft's HQ looking for SQL Server developers. This editorial was originally published on April 17, 2008. It is being re-published as Steve is on holiday.
2013-02-08 (first published: 2008-04-17)
677 reads
A Computer Goes to College
IBM is sending a Watson supercomputer to college. We don't know what will happen with this experiment, but it is exciting for those of us looking forward to interacting more with computers in the future.
2013-02-07
103 reads
Data Journalism
Data Journalism is a new idea that is bringing us a new way of reporting on the world. Steve Jones thinks this might be useful inside of all kinds of organizations.
2013-02-06
91 reads
Blogs
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...
Start with the FabricTools PowerShell module
By Kamil
Managing Microsoft Fabric at scale quickly becomes painful if you rely only on the...
Forums
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
SQL Art: I Made a Christmas Card In SSMS
Comments posted to this topic are about the item SQL Art: I Made a...
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