The Virtual Lab
Today Steve Jones talks about the need for a lab for each of us, and a few ways you can build one.
Window Functions in SQL Server: Part 3: Questions of Performance
A SQL expression may look elegant on the page but it is only valuable if its performance is good. Do window functions run quicker than their conventional equivalent code? Fabiano Amorim gives a definitive answer.
A Leader
Today's editorial was originally reprinted on Jun 17, 2007. It is being re-run as it is a holiday in the US. Today Steve Jones looks at Jonthan Schwartz, the former CEO of SUN who took over from the founder, Scott McNealy.
DBAs and the Career-Life Balance
DBAs always tend to face many difficulties in maintaining a healthy work-life balance. Brad McGehee encourages some debate on the best strategies to make this work, in the face of long working hours, and the desire to contribute fully to the SQL Server community.
Grant Truncate Table Permissions in SQL Server without ALTER Table
How do you grant a SQL Server developer truncate table permission without giving them the ability to alter the table? Check out the examples and explanation in this tip.
Stairway to SQL Server Replication - Level 6: Merge Replication - Publication
This level covers the details of SQL Server transactional and merge replication, from understanding the basic terminology and methodology of setting up replication, to describing how it works and how the basic replication processes can be monitored.
Understanding and Using APPLY (Part 2)
The second of a series by Paul White examining the APPLY operator. In this section learn how this operator compares with joins and about both the cross and outer options.
WWBOD
This Friday's poll asks you to tell us what you'd do if you won the lottery. Is there something that you'd rather be doing than your current job? Dream a little and let us know.
SQL Server Log Shipping to a Different Domain or Workgroup
Sometimes the requirement arises to provide a copy of your database to an off-site location, such as a disaster recovery datacenter. Log Shipping is one of the most popular, proven technologies used to create a copy of your databases on a remote server.
Blogs
A New Word: los vidados
By Steve Jones
los vidados – n. the half-remembered acquaintances you knew years ago, who you might...
In-Person CISA Training – April 13-16, 2026
By Brian Kelley
I will be leading an in-person Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) exam prep class...
EightKB 2026
EightKB is back again for 2026! The biggest online SQL Server internals conference is...
Forums
query to track time spent on individual tasks in SSIS
Hi everyone I am looking at building a query to determine how much time...
SQL Server Transactional Replication from Always On Availability Groups to Azure SQL Database
Comments posted to this topic are about the item SQL Server Transactional Replication from...
Hidden Heroes
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Hidden Heroes
Question of the Day
Identities and Sequences I
When thinking of the Identity property for auto incrementing columns and sequences for the same action, which are explicitly linked to increment a number in a table when a new row is added?
See possible answers