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
118 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
153 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)
219 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)
638 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
94 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
106 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
226 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)
683 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
108 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
98 reads
Blogs
Generate Embeddings in SQL with Aurora and Bedrock
Most embedding pipelines on AWS have the same shape: a job reads rows out...
Resolving SQL Server Transaction Log Issues Efficiently
By Arun Sirpal
Transaction log issues are one of the quietest ways a healthy database turns into...
Adding an HTTP MCP Server to VSCode
By Steve Jones
I wrote earlier this week about the SQL MCP Server using the Data API...
Forums
Symmetric Key Encryption
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Symmetric Key Encryption
The “Successful Login” Dilemma: Why Your Login Auditing Strategy Might Be Hurting Your Server
Comments posted to this topic are about the item The “Successful Login” Dilemma: Why...
Building Your Own Software
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Building Your Own Software
Question of the Day
Symmetric Key Encryption
If I run this statement in SQL Server 2025, how is the password encrypted?
CREATE SYMMETRIC KEY MySymmetricKey WITH ALGORITHM = AES_256, KEY_SOURCE = 'My secret key source passphrase', IDENTITY_VALUE = 'My secret identity value' ENCRYPTION BY PASSWORD = 'S&perS#cretP@ssword7'; GOSee possible answers