DRI or No DRI?
This editorial was originally published on Feb 19, 2006. We are reprinting pieces this week as Steve is traveling in the UK.
Second Normal Form
In this article Tom Thomson takes a look at what second normal form means, how it is violated, and how you can fix it. This is part of our normalization series.
Identifying PII Data to Lock Down in SQL Server - Part 1
We're pretty confident that we have locked down and encrypted our financial data, but a lot of our customer's PII (Personally Identifiable Information) data is still held in unencrypted form. This data is able to be selected directly by read only business users on many of our downstream reporting, datawarehouse and standby servers. The rise of identity theft makes protecting this data imperative. DBAs are the custodians of this information and must protect it like we protect our own personal information. Recent publicity over the theft of Sony PSN data underscores both the economic and ethical importance of protecting personal data.
Here's a Reason to Document
This editorial was originally published on Feb 17, 2006. Steve is traveling in the UK this week and we are re-printing some old pieces. This one talks about a search engine for code.
Questions About SQL Server Distribution Statistics
Fabiano Amorim was asked a couple of questions about SQL Server Distribution Statistics. Having given an answer based on his current knowledge, he then decided to find out for himself whether what he'd said was right, and started an epic journey of exploration into Distribution Statistics and the way that the Query Optimiser uses them.
Bad Eyes
This editorial was originally published on Jan 9, 2006. Steve is traveling to the UK this week and we are reprinting a few older editorials. This editorial talks about the health of your eyes, a topic of concern for those of us that work with computers regularly.
Questions About SQL Server Distribution Statistics
Fabiano Amorim was asked a couple of questions about SQL Server Distribution Statistics. Having given an answer based on his current knowledge, he then decided to find out for himself whether what he'd said was right, and started an epic journey of exploration into Distribution Statistics and the way that the Query Optimiser uses them.
Creating a 2 Node SQL Server 2008 Virtual Cluster Part 1
Learn how to create a Windows 2008\SQL Server 2008 virtual cluster in this three part series.
Blogs
Monday Monitor Tips: Intelligent Alert Thresholds
By Steve Jones
At the recent Redgate Summit in Chicago, I demo’d (lightly) the ML based Alert...
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...
Forums
String_agg not working as needed
I'm trying to get this string_agg to put all the 'comments' into one result...
Vectors in SQL Server 2025
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Vectors in SQL Server 2025
Odd Sequences
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Odd Sequences
Question of the Day
Odd Sequences
What values are returned from this code?
CREATE SEQUENCE NumericSequence
AS NUMERIC(5,1)
START WITH 1.0
INCREMENT BY 0.1;
GO
SELECT NEXT VALUE FOR NumericSequence
GO
SELECT NEXT VALUE FOR NumericSequence
GO See possible answers