TDE Setup and Administration Scripts
A comprehensive set of scripts to setup and operate TDE for a SQL Server.
Regular Expression Transformation
The regular expression transformation exposes the power of regular expression matching within the pipeline. One or more columns can be selected, and for each column an individual expression can be applied. The way multiple columns are handled can be set on the options page.
A Data Hub
The idea of a data hub in your company is interesting to Steve Jones. He talks about this concept, and how it might help you increase data quality, and perhaps get closed to a single view of the truth.
SQL Server 2012’s Information on Parallel Thread Usage
In the SQL Server 2012 execution plan we can see better the true thread reservations for a query and not just information on the maximum degree of parallelism and row distribution across parallel threads; thanks to the new parallel thread usage information.
Removing the SQL Server Management Data Warehouse
SQL Server 2008 introduced a new feature, Management Data Warehouse (MDW), which allows users to collect metrics on their servers over time to aid in performance troubleshooting. A lot of people try this feature out, because it is easy to set up, and then find that it is not so easy to remove. In fact, removing MDW is not supported; in SQL Server 2012, though, a new system stored procedure was added to make this process easier. The problem is that this stored procedure (as well as several of the workarounds I've seen published) can leave several objects behind.
Wiggle Room
Consultants sometimes don't live up to their hype. To what extent should we expect them to know exactly what they're doing? This editorial was originally published on Nov 9, 2007. It is being republished as Steve is on vacation.
SQL Saturday #164 - Cleveland
A free day of training in Cleveland, OH. Come see MVPs Allen White and others talking about all aspects of SQL Server. For free.
Working with SSIS Data Types
In order to be able to take data from a variety of sources, manipulate it, and then export it to one of several destinations, SSIS has to use its own data types. If you hit problems, then you may need to intervene to ensure an appropriate conversion.
Display data by fiscal year instead of calendar year
This article provides a simple solution to display any data by fiscal year instead of calendar year.
Stupid Interviewer Tricks
Today's editorial was originally published on Feb 7, 2008. It is being re-published as Steve is on vacation.
What do you do when the interviewer is obviously wrong? Steve Jones offers a perspective.
Blogs
“We love to debate minutiae”
By Brian Kelley
I am guilty as charged. The quote was in reference to how people argue...
Advice I Like: Knots
By Steve Jones
Learn how to tie a bowline knot. Practice in the dark. With one hand....
Shifting Mindsets: Why FinOps is Essential for Cloud Efficiency
By HeyMo0sh
As a DevOps practitioner, I’ve always focused on performance, scalability, and automation. But as...
Forums
Windows logins for users migrated from DomainA to DomainB
Hi, I have a SQL Server instance where users connect to via Windows Authentication,...
Multiple Deployment Processes
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Multiple Deployment Processes
How to Use sqlpackage to Detect Schema Drift Between Azure SQL Databases
Comments posted to this topic are about the item How to Use sqlpackage to...
Question of the Day
Upgrading Admin Queries
I have a query from a former DBA that we run on SQL Server 2025 to check on database metadata. This query references sys.sysaltfiles. I want to refactor this code to be more modern. Which DMV should I reference instead?
See possible answers