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.
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.
5 Things Every DBA Should NOT Do
Earlier in the month I shared with you 10 Things That Every DBA Should Do and so it only seems natural...
Fundamentals of Storage Systems, IO Latency and SQL Server
A Thousand Men Marching Still Only March As Fast As One Man.
la·ten·cy - Computers . the time required to locate the first bit or character in a storage location, expressed as access timeminus word time.
Often when talking to people...
Blogs
Advice I Like: Respect
By Steve Jones
“Don’t aim to have others like you; aim to have them respect you.” –...
Blue Sky Programming – The Optimism Trap
Many years ago, before I joined Oracle, I was working on a major modernisation...
Setting Up a Mac for Data Engineering and AI Work
If you work with data pipelines, SQL, notebooks, or machine learning models, a Mac...
Forums
SQL Art, Part 4: Happy 4th of July — A British DBA's Guide to Celebrating a War We Don't Talk About
Comments posted to this topic are about the item SQL Art, Part 4: Happy...
Is Fabric a Reliable Service or a Ripped Resource?
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Is Fabric a Reliable Service...
locking down agent for new user on our dev machine
hi , a new user wants to be able to add sql agent jobs...
Question of the Day
BIT_COUNT I
In SQL Server 2025, I have a table (dbo.UserPermission) that contains this data:
UserID UserPermissions 15 23 37What is returned when I run this code:
select bit_count(UserPermissions) as PermissionCount from dbo.UserPermission where UserID = 3;See possible answers