SQL Server Enum Implementation: A Single-Row View Strategy for Avoiding Magic Values
Learn about an alternative strategy for avoiding hardcoded literal values in SQL Server queries by using single-row views designed to mimic enum behavior.
Add Nodes to SQL Server 2022 and Windows Server 2022 Failover Cluster
I used the guide in a previous tip on Install SQL Server 2008 on a Windows Server 2008 Cluster Part 1 to install a SQL Server 2008 on a Windows Server 2008 failover cluster (WSFC). Now, I would like to upgrade and migrate my SQL Server 2008 failover clusters to SQL Server 2022 running on Windows Server 2022. What is the process for installation and configuration?
Concurrency and Baseline Control: Level 5 of the Stairway to Reliable Database Deployments
As database development scales across multiple contributors, concurrency becomes an inherent aspect of the process. Changes that are individually correct may still conflict when developed against a shifting baseline. This level introduces a disciplined approach to managing parallel changesets by controlling their scope, identifying overlap, and resolving conflicts through realignment. By ensuring that only one changeset retains its original baseline while others are adapted accordingly, deployments remain predictable and consistent. Once released, changesets are treated as immutable, and further evolution proceeds through new, forward-only changes.
Spending Time in the Office
Many of us work remotely, lots of of hybrid, but some are in the office every day. Steve has a few thoughts on these models.
How to host an AI text embeddings model for SQL Server using Ollama
When we want to use AI-based comparisons of text, via vector search in SQL Server, we need to first generate embeddings for the text. An embedding is a numeric representation of meaning, usually represented by vectors. In this article, I’ll show you how to use Ollama to host a server locally that can be used to generate embeddings.
Index Fragmentation Explained: Page Splits, Logical Reads, and What to Do
Index fragmentation can silently degrade your query performance over time. Learn what happens at the page level, how to measure it, and how to fix it.
What is the Cloud?
Today Steve has a few thoughts on what the cloud is in 2026. See if you like his analogy.
How to Deploy SQL Server on Kubernetes running on Windows
Learn how to deploy SQL Server on Kubernetes using Docker Desktop on Windows. Unlock powerful capabilities for your database.
Blogs
Keeping Redshift System Table History Past 7 Days with S3 Tables
Redshift keeps its SYS_* monitoring views for seven days in cluster, which is fine...
Updating the Data API Builder
By Steve Jones
I was updating my session for the Data API Builder (DAB) recently, mostly to...
T-SQL Tuesday #202 Invitation: That One SQL Server Outage You’ll Never Forget
I am excited to host T-SQL Tuesday for the first time. I want to...
Forums
Practical Ways to Approach SQL Server Problems and Case Studies
Working with SQL Server can involve more than just writing queries. Understanding database design,...
Measuring Productivity
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Measuring Productivity
Importing Excel files into SQL Server using DuckDB and Python
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Importing Excel files into SQL...
Question of the Day
Tracking All the Queries
I have 3 instances of a brand new long running query that are executing on a SQL Server 2025 instance. Query store is enabled. One of the queries is killed by the administrator, one is cancelled by the user. The other runs to completion. How many rows are in Query Store for this query?
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