All I want for Christmas
This Friday before Christmas, Steve Jones has a fun poll. What would you like for Christmas? Any fun, interesting, fascinating tech toys?
Intersect, Except, Union, All and Any
Longtime author and expert DBA David Poole examines a few T-SQL commands that he has never used. Learn how some of these little used T-SQL items function and see if they work for you.
Window Functions in SQL Server: Part 2 - The Frame
Fabiano Amorim continues his introduction to SQL Server's implementation of the window functions by giving a history of what got implemented and when, and explaining the concept of the 'Frame' in a window function, with plenty of examples.
Display Complex Hierarchical Data with Server-Side Pagination
This article presents an approach to perform server-side pagination and display complex hierarchical data in Reporting Services.
GOTO and T-SQL
Today we have a guest editorial from Phil Factor as Steve is on vacation. This piece looks at the complaints against GOTO and whether they are valid.
Backing Up a SQL Server Database Directly Onto a Remote Server
Recently I encountered a situation where the backup drive was short of space on the production server. The policy on the production server was that as soon as soon as the Full Backup is complete, a copy of the production backup is transferred to the staging server using RoboCopy
Red Gate Software announces DBA in Space competition winner
Find out who has been announced as the winner of Red Gate Software's DBA in Space competition.
Your Boss Is Your Customer
Today we have a guest editorial from Andy Warren. Andy talks about the relationship with your boss, and how you ought to view them as your customer.
Successfully execute an INSERT, UPDATE and DELETE against a Database Snapshot
Not too long ago an ISV that developed solutions using SQL Server as the RDBMS, asked me how they could query a database as at a point in time. This was a relatively easy answer, thanks to the Database Snapshot feature. I was however surprised at the next question “Can we update the database snapshot?”
Blogs
ISACA AI Material/Exam Prep Discount (May 18 – June 30, 2026)
By Brian Kelley
If you are considering any of the ISACA AI certs like the Advanced Artificial...
A Fabric solution can be very cost effective
By ChrisJenkins
Are you currently using Microsoft Fabric or considering migrating to it? If so, there...
Track SQL Server Configuration Changes Using the Error Log
By SQLPals
Track SQL Server Configuration Changes Using the Error Log If you...
Forums
We Are Eating Our Own Seed Corn
Comments posted to this topic are about the item We Are Eating Our Own...
Before Using AI with Business Data, Read This
Artificial intelligence tools are quickly becoming part of daily business operations, from document analysis...
Designing SQL Server ETL Pipelines That Don't Break at Scale
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Designing SQL Server ETL Pipelines...
Question of the Day
Detecting Deadlocks Quickly
In the Database Engine, when a deadlock is detected, what does the detection interval shrink to (in time)?
See possible answers