What Sarbanes-Oxley Won't Do
Today we have a reprint of an editorial from Dec 4, 2005 as Steve is on vacation.
MDX Performance - burdens of IIF
I used to think naively that IIF is an innocent little function that can only do good and help me...
Working with SQL Server Profiler Trace Files
In a previous tip we looked at the steps to Create a Trace Template in Profiler. In this tip we will look at a few more tips such as creating a trace template from an existing trace file and saving a trace file to a SQL Server table.
Data Quality
Today we have an editorial reprinted from Dec 12, 2005 as Steve is on vacation. Steve talks about the hassles of poor data quality and why it can hurt a business.
Understanding Indexes
This article contains an introduction to SQL Server indexes and how they are used in your queries.
SQL Server: Natural Key Versus Surrogate Key
When designing a database to support applications you need to consider how you are going to handle primary keys. This article explores natural and surrogate keys, and discusses the pros and cons of each, allowing you to determine what makes the best sense in your environment when you are designing your databases.
Windows Instant File Initialization and SQL Server
One Windows setting that I think is extremely important for SQL Server usage is the “Perform volume maintenance tasks” right,...
A Variety of Interpretations
This week was T-SQL Tuesday week, the brainchild of Adam Machanic, and hosted by Pat Wright. The theme of Automation produced some very interesting posts. Some of them might inspire you to change the way you tackle the solutions for a variety of problems.
An In-Depth Examination of Red Gate SQL Monitor
A review of SQL Monitor, the new DBA utility from Red Gate Software that can help you keep an eye on what your SQL Server instances are doing.
Careful Blogging
Today we have a reprint of an editorial from Sept 22, 2005. In this one, Steve Jones reminds you that blogging is a public event and you want to be careful about what you write.
Blogs
Flyway Tips: AI Generating Migration Script Names
By Steve Jones
AI is a big deal in 2026, and at Redgate, we’re experimenting with how...
The Book of Redgate: Get the right stuff done
By Steve Jones
Another of our values: The facing page has this quote: “We admire people who...
Runing tSQLt Tests with Claude
By Ed Elliott
Running tSQLt unit tests is great from Visual Studio but my development workflow...
Forums
SQL Server 2025 Standard Developer Edition
Comments posted to this topic are about the item SQL Server 2025 Standard Developer...
URL Safe or Not?
Comments posted to this topic are about the item URL Safe or Not?
No Defaults Passwords Ever
Comments posted to this topic are about the item No Defaults Passwords Ever
Question of the Day
URL Safe or Not?
If I use BASE4_ENCODE() in SQL Server 2025, is the output URL Safe by default?
See possible answers