Slow Fixes
Today we have an editorial reprinted from Jan 15, 2006 as Steve is on vacation. This one talks about the patching process at Microsoft, and why it sometimes is slower than we might like.
SQL and the JOIN Operator
How the JOIN operator works, the different types of JOINs and relevant information about joining tables.
Changes to the SSIS Slowly Changing Dimension Component
Probably not the kind of change you're expecting. I've recently been contacted by the Kimball Group, and they've asked me...
How To Use Regular Expressions for Data Validation and Cleanup
You need to provide data validation at the server level for complex strings like phone numbers, email addresses, etc. You may also need to do data cleanup / standardization before moving it from source to target. Although SQL Server provides a fair number of string functions, the code developed with these built-in functions can become complex and hard to maintain or reuse.
Bad IT People
What happens when you have bad IT people working in your company? Steve Jones says that they always will be around, but we might not want to enable them to continue in this business when we find them.
Controlling Growth of a Distribution Database
This article provides a practical example of minimizing the growth of a distribution database.
Some Suggested SQL Server 2008 R2 Instance Configuration Settings
Depending on your anticipated workload and which SQL Server components you have installed, there are a number of instance level...
The Rocky Mountain Tech Trifecta v3.0
A free day of training in Denver on Mar 5, 2011. Learn about Windows, .NET, SQL Server, Sharepoint and more. Spread the word to people you know in the area.
MVP Summit 2011
Steve Jones talks a little about the 2011 MVP Summit and what the annual event means to the average DBA.
Using Disparate File Paths in SQL Server Database Mirroring
Learn how you can setup Database Mirroring using disparate file paths and drive letters.
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