The ORM Dilemma
Steve Jones talks about ORM frameworks and the dilemma of using them. They save time, but might not solve all your problems.
Efficient SQL Server Indexing by Design
Having a good set of indexes on your SQL Server database is critical to performance. Efficient indexes don't happen by accident; they are designed to be efficient. Greg Larsen discusses whether primary keys should be clustered, when to use filtered indexes and what to consider when using the Fill Factor.
No More Reviews
Steve Jones doesn't like annual performance reviews, and has some evidence that they might be worth getting rid of.
No SFTP Task Component in SSIS 2005/2008? No Problem!
SSIS 2005 and 2008 have an FTP Task component, but no SFTP (SSH/TLS-encrypted FTP) Task component. This tutorial explains how to overcome this omission.
How to enable SSIS as data source type on SQL Server Reporing Services SSRS 2008 R2
when you create a data source in SSRS 2008 R2 (Nov CTP), you won't be able to get SSIS listed as a data source type. Therefore applications that are already using it as a data source or applications that require it as a data source get stuck. Let's learn how to enable and get SSIS listed back as a data source in SSRS 2008 R2.
Repair Corruption Using the Mirror Database in SQL 2005
Explanation of how to repair a database in SQL 2005 Enterprise which is mirrored.
Who will the Exceptional DBA in 2010?
The Exceptional DBA contest is underway and today Steve Jones comments on the contest. Get your entry in today.
Oracle to SQL Server: Crossing the Great Divide, Part 1
When a SQL expert moves from Oracle to SQL Server, he can spot obvious strengths and weaknesses in the product that are too familiar to be apparent to the SQL Server DBA. Jonathan Lewis is one such expert: In this article he records his train of thought whilst investigating the mechanics of the SQL Server database engine. The result makes interesting reading.
SQL Lunch #19-Configuring, Deploying and Scheduling SSIS Packages
May 10, 2010, 11:30CST. Now that you have created your SSIS packages it’s time to add some configuration files that will ease your deployments. Wait how do you deploy one or two or three SSIS packages? Uh oh, now that they are deployed how do you schedule them? Well join Patrick LeBlanc in his discussion on how to Configure, Deploy and Schedule your SSIS packages.
Blogs
Advice I Like: Pyramid Schemes
By Steve Jones
If someone is trying to convince you it’s not a pyramid scheme, it’s a...
Using Prompt AI for a Travel Data Analysis
By Steve Jones
I was looking back at my year and decided to see if SQL Prompt...
FinOps for Kubernetes: Leveraging OpenCost, KubeGreen, and Kubecost for Cost Efficiency
In the era of cloud-native applications, Kubernetes has become the default standard platform for...
Forums
Database file shrink issue.
Hi experts, I have a 3+ TB database on a 2019 sql server which...
The North Star for the Year
Comments posted to this topic are about the item The North Star for the...
Multiple Escape Characters
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Multiple Escape Characters
Question of the Day
Multiple Escape Characters
In SQL Server 2025, I run this code (in a database with the appropriate collation):
SELECT UNISTR('%*3041%*308A%*304C%*3068 and good night', '%*') AS 'A Classic';
What is returned? See possible answers