You can create a view using linked server tables, including with joins to local tables. You can't create a view including linked server tables with schemabinding.

Something like this using a tally table or function:

DECLARE @startDate date = '2021-01-06'
DECLARE @nextYear date = DATEADD(year,1,DATEADD(year,DATEDIFF(year,0,@startDate),0));
SELECT DATEADD(WEEK,Number,@startDate ) AS StartDate, DATEADD(DAY,6,DATEADD(WEEK,Number,@startDate )) AS EndDate, Number +...

No.

Amazon recommends using their Data Migration Service for this scenario.

The windows of time you can get will be constrained by when the server last restarted.

You could use sample_ms from sys.dm_io_virtual_file_stats to determine that start time. You would need to...

Please read the links Johan provided.

If you want to modify data, then you need to use a stored procedure, not a user-defined function.

In SQL Server, a user-defined function is...

What is the actual character? What does UNICODE(RIGHT(ColumnName, 1)) return?

That diamond character is the unicode Specials replacement character U+FFFD:

If that actually is the value stored, then it's likely the...

What is the collation?

Does it look that way in SSMS (or another application/client?)

If SSMS, check this article for how to set grid to display unicode characters. It suggests Arial...

I've attached the sample data

Where? I don't see any input data.

Arithmetic overflow error converting nvarchar to data type numeric.

For what value(s)?

Can you provide DDL & sample data scripts to reproduce?

I realize this probably isn't your design, but it's a great...

If it's varchar and not nvarchar...

That's probably not the actual character -- rather what SSMS is translating it to for display.

You can use a tally table or tally function (see...

Is this for reporting queries? Is this approach driven by knowledge/belief that the query is too expensive to run repeatedly or blocks other processes? Are the tables used in the...

1. Is there a reason you can't use a sequence?
2. Cross apply to Tally table or tally function where Number <= 25 if 1-based or 24 if 0-based

You can replicate to multiple subscribers on multiple servers.

Replication shouldn't care what edition.

Check out Aaron Bertrand's article: What is the fastest way to calculate the median?

@CleanupTime is in hours. Four weeks is 672 hours.