That feeling when you've got a Linked Server connection to a remote site who thought they had everything set up and you just needed to get your end set up,...

You'll have a far easier time setting up encrypted connections if you instead get a non-self-signed certificate.  If your SQL / IIS / clients are all part of an Active...

When you're taking a walk at work, and realize you should wait a minute before crossing the road...

Beyond just a copy of Developer Edition, you'll also want to get a trial version of Windows Server (works for 180 days,) and some sort of virtualization solution.  Options on...

I'm with Phil.  Better to store the dates as dates.  If you store them as character data (whether CHAR or VARCHAR) it's too easy for "bad" data to slip in,...

Ugh.
The joy of spending a day waiting for someone to get in touch with someone on their end who can hopefully resolve a connectivity issue to a remote (linked)...