SQLServerCentral Editorial

Time for Your Career

This week Steve Jones wants to know if you can find time for your professional development. Regularly improving your skills is an important part of your career in technology, and the poll this weeks asks what time you can make for improvement.

External Article

The T-SQL of CSV: Comma-Delimited of Errors

Despite the neglect of the basic ODBC drivers over the years, they still afford a neat way of reading from, and writing to, CSV files; and to be able to do so in SQL as if they were tables is somewhat magical. Just to prove it is possible, Phil Factor creates a CSV version of AdventureWorks as a linked server.

External Article

Export data to an earlier SQL Server version

I have data in a SQL Server database that I need to get to an older version of SQL Server. I tried the backup and restore method, but received an error indicating that this wasn't allowed. I also tried to detach and attach the database, but that operation failed too. I understand that typical methods I use to move the database around don't work when I have to work with an earlier SQL Server version. What can I do to get the data out? This is a simple database and I want to spend a minimal amount of effort.

External Article

How to Create an Indicator and Gauge Report in SSRS

SQL Server Reporting Services provides several ways to analyze the data; a few of them are creating reports with indicators and Gauges. Indicators are minimal gauges that convey the state of a single data value at a glance and are mostly used to represent the state value of Key Performance Indicator (KPI, a measurable value which has business significance with a specific target or goal that indicates whether things are going good or bad).

Blogs

Databases and AI Agents

By

As part of my wider work exploring Claude Code and AI-assisted database engineering, I...

Creating a Pulsing Conducting Baton - Part 1

By

Train Wreck The last time I watched a high school band nearly fall apart mid-performance...

ISACA AI Material/Exam Prep Discount (May 18 – June 30, 2026)

By

If you are considering any of the ISACA AI certs like the Advanced Artificial...

Read the latest Blogs

Forums

Why Your Index Isn't Being Used? - Reading Execution Plans to Find the Real Culprit

By Sanket Parmar

Comments posted to this topic are about the item Why Your Index Isn't Being...

Distance Metric Algorithms

By Steve Jones - SSC Editor

Comments posted to this topic are about the item Distance Metric Algorithms

What Can AI Really Do?

By Steve Jones - SSC Editor

Comments posted to this topic are about the item What Can AI Really Do?

Visit the forum

Question of the Day

Distance Metric Algorithms

What are the distance metric algorithms that can be used in VECTOR_DISTANCE()?

See possible answers