Feedback and Big Data
Continuous improvement comes from measurement, analysis, and changes. Steve Jones talks about how we should be doing that with our data collection, analysis, and storage.
TSQL function to detect SQL Agent job state
This article has a T-SQL function to detect the SQL Agent job state.
Converting String Data to XML and XML to String Data
In general XML documents or fragments are held in strings as text markup. In SQL Server, XML variables and columns are instead tokenised to allow rapid access to the data within. This is fine, but can cause some odd problems, such as ' entitization'. What do you do if you need to preserve the formatting? As usual Rob Sheldon comes to our aid.
Aggregate Function Product()
The TSQL aggregate function SUM() gives a number based on the addition of the values of multiple rows to each other. Do the same thing but with multiplication instead of addition.
Insider Security Threats
The biggest security threat always seems to come from insiders and today Steve Jones talks about the need to monitor your environment.
SQL Server 2012: Creative Thinking for a Creative New Licensing Model
It seems inevitable that many customers will end up paying more to get the same features they have today, under the new SQL Server licencing model, unless they respond to Microsoft's creativity with some of their own.
TSQL Challenge 75 - Find the Episode and Sequence based on interval
The challenge is to find the Episode and Sequence based on interval.
Great SQL Server Debates: Buffer Cache Hit Ratio
One of the more popular counters used by DBAs to monitor SQL Server performance, the Buffer Cache Hit Ratio, is useless as a predictor of imminent performance problems. Worse, it can be misleading. Jonathan Kehayias demonstrates this convincingly with some simple tests.
Blogs
Monday Monitor Tips: Virtual Machine Usage and Cost
By Steve Jones
One of the things I’ve been requesting for a number of years is cost...
Advice I Like: Respect
By Steve Jones
“Don’t aim to have others like you; aim to have them respect you.” –...
Blue Sky Programming – The Optimism Trap
Many years ago, before I joined Oracle, I was working on a major modernisation...
Forums
SQL Art, Part 4: Happy 4th of July — A British DBA's Guide to Celebrating a War We Don't Talk About
Comments posted to this topic are about the item SQL Art, Part 4: Happy...
SQL Server Still Wins
Comments posted to this topic are about the item SQL Server Still Wins
DBCC CHECKDB Limits I
Comments posted to this topic are about the item DBCC CHECKDB Limits I
Question of the Day
DBCC CHECKDB Limits I
When running DBCC CHECKDB on SQL Server 2025, can I include the Resource Database?
See possible answers