Sins of SQL: The Time Table
Steve Gray discusses one of the oldest OLAP techiques for representing the time dimension - and shows why it's a lot easier to stick to DATETIME values.
TCA
SQL Server has a lower TCA, total cost of administration, than Oracle. Steve Jones comments today on a few of the reasons.
Statistical Sampling for Verifying Database Backups
A DBA's huge workload can start to threaten best practices for data backup and recovery, but ingenuity, and an eye for a good tactic, can usually find a way. For Tom, the revelation about a solution came from eating crabs. Statistical sampling can be brought to bear to minimize the risk of failure of an emergency database restore.
A Google-like Full Text Search
Implementing searching in your database is always a challenge and MVP Michael Coles brings us a method of building a Google-like search for SQL Server.
Getting the Message
Regardless of the speed of your SQL routines there comes a time, for any server-based system, when you need to think "parallel" and "asynchronous". So why, Phil Factor wonders, does there seem to be so little interest in Service Broker?
Free e-book: Introducing Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2
For a limited time, you can download this 10-chapter e-book: Introducing Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2, by Ross Mistry and Stacia Misner.
Running SQL Server Jobs using a Proxy Account
Proxy accounts are a useful tool to enable teams to work independently allow users who do not have administrative access to SQL Server to run jobs.
TSQL Challenge 31 - Managing multiple overlapping date intervals.
This challenge is adapted from a budgeting system used in a large company to perform quarterly analysis of what kind of work will be done and where it will be done. Project Managers make plans and the estimated hours of work required from each employee each month end up in a central database. Top managers want to see a synthesis of this by department and profession
Transaction Log Growth, do you need it?
One of the most common questions asked about SQL Server has to do with the transaction log and why does it grow. James Rea brings us a good explanation here of what happens and what you should do about it.
Blogs
Flyway Tips: AI Deployment Script Descriptions
By Steve Jones
With the AI push being everywhere, Redgate is no exception. We’ve been getting requests,...
A New Word: Fawtle
By Steve Jones
fawtle – n. a weird little flaw built into your partner that somehow only...
Post-quantum key exchange – Insurance policy for your packets
AWS recently added support for Post-Quantum Key Exchange for TLS in Application Load Balancer...
Forums
Where Your Value Separates You from Others
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Where Your Value Separates You...
Fixing the Error
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Fixing the Error
T-SQL in SQL Server 2025: Encoding Functions
Comments posted to this topic are about the item T-SQL in SQL Server 2025:...
Question of the Day
Fixing the Error
On SQL Server 2025, I have a database that has this collation: SQL_Latin1_General_CP1_CI_AS. I decide I want to run this code:
SELECT UNISTR('*3041*308A*304C*3068 and good night', '*') AS 'A Classic';
I get this error:Msg 9844, Level 16, State 4, Line 24 The char/varchar input type uses an unsupported collation. Only a UTF8 collation is supported with char/varchar input type in UNISTR function.What is the easiest way to fix this error? See possible answers