Serious Software Glitches
A software bug causes a lot of legal issues in the UK. It's something that upsets Steve, partially because the software wasn't well tested.
Resolving the MERGE statement attempted to UPDATE or DELETE the same row more than once error
I'm receiving the following error when attempting to run a T-SQL MERGE statement: "Msg 8672, Level 16, State 1, Line 123. The MERGE statement attempted to UPDATE or DELETE the same row more than once. This happens when a target row matches more than one source row.
More Private Clouds
Steve thinks that the growth of private clouds make sense, especially as more companies turn to platform engineering.
SQL Window Functions Series: NTILE()
Unlock the power of SQL's NTILE function with our latest deep-dive article. Learn to segment your data effectively into quantiles for more nuanced analysis, discover common pitfalls and their solutions, and optimize your queries for peak performance.
Adding an AI Policy for Authors
SQL Server Central is changing their policy to respond to the increased use of AI technologies.
Deploying Azure SQL Database Using an ARM Template
Provisioning infrastructure in a timely and reliable manner is essential for agile development. One well-liked method that lets you use code to automate resource management and provisioning is infrastructure as code (IaC). Azure Resource Manager templates are one IaC solution for Azure (ARM templates).
How Often Do You Update SSMS?
I got a message recently that SSM S19.3 is out. I am wary of major versions, especially with a few add-in tools, but I have tended to try and update SSMS regularly when it patches, which is about once a quarter. As I checked my desktop, I saw I was still on 19.1 (my laptop […]
Optimized locking in Azure SQL Database
I don’t think I’ve ever had a great impression of Azure SQL Database as a place for production applications. In its early days, it was missing several important features (like data compression). While that hole has been plugged, there are still other limitations and differences you should be aware o
Install SSMS using Powershell DSC
Learn how you can install SMSS automatically using PowerShell DSC as this series continues.
Mind Over Milkshake (Thoughts Matter)
You mind can influence your body. Maybe. A study Steve found says that could be true, but he certainly thinks it can influence your attitude and how you respond to situations at work.
Blogs
Blog a Day – Day 1: History of AI
By Vinay Thakur
it has been a year since i have not written much on the blog...
A New Word: on tenderhooks
By Steve Jones
on tenderhooks – adj. feeling the primal satisfaction of being needed by someone, which...
Ramblings about data communities and your contributions, no excuses
By DataOnWheels
I have been active in the data community throughout my career. I have met...
Forums
Ola Hallengren Index Optimize Maintenance can we have data compression = page
I have a quick question on Ola Hallengren Index Optimize Maintenance . Do we...
how do i map the "current" object entry in for each to one variable
hi, in an ssis for each loop over an object variable called MyListVariable, i...
Simulating Mercury’s Orbital Motion Using Pure T-SQL (NASA 2025 Dataset)
SQL Server is typically viewed as a transactional or analytical database engine. However, it...
Question of the Day
String Similarity I
On SQL Server 2025, when I run this, what is returned?
SELECT EDIT_DISTANCE_SIMILARITY('SQL Server', 'MySQL') See possible answers