Knowing What's Normal
This week Database Weekly has a lot of performance related posts and Steve Jones notes that those are not of much use unless you know you really do have a performance problem.
Partitions in Analysis Services
A look at partitioning in Analysis Services from Shahfaisal Muhammed. Learn how it works, what it can do, and how to implement partitions for your cubes.
What Will We Take For Granted Tomorrow?
A guest editorial from Tim Mitchell today looks at technology, and how quickly we become accustomed to it.
Import and Export Registered SQL Servers To Other Machines
I need to setup other computers the same way that are used to manage my SQL Servers. Instead of having to manually add the registered servers on each computer in this tip I show you how you can import and export registered servers between computers.
Limited Features or Limited Time?
A guest editorial today from Andy Warren. When someone is looking to introduce a free version of a product, what's the best way to tackle it?
Using SQL Profiler to Resolve Deadlocks in SQL Server
MVP Jonathan Kehayias brings us a short article on how to troubleshoot deadlocks in SQL Server.
Tables and Views for Auditing SQL Server Logins
I have been tasked with auditing security on my SQL Server. However, this needs to be a somewhat automated process as I don't want to have to rely on taking screenshots every month to satisfy our auditors. What tables and/or views should I be using and what's the best way to extract the information out of them?
Change the Edition or Change the Design?
Today Steve Jones talks about revisiting your design and perhaps thinking about buying another edition of SQL Server to take advantage of some feature.
SQL Saturday #43 - Redmond
If you are in the Redmond, WA area, join in for a free day of SQL Server training on June 12, 2010.
Reliable Storage Systems for SQL Server
By validating the IO path before commissioning the production database system, and performing ongoing validation through page checksums and DBCC checks, you can hopefully avoid data corruption altogether, or at least nip it in the bud. If corruption occurs, then you have to take the right decisions fast to deal with it. Rod Colledge explains how a pessimistic mindset can be an advantage
Blogs
Narrow Task Decomposition in AI Pipeline Agents
A nightly load into sales_fact fails. Ask an orchestrating agent to break down the...
Car Update: August 2026
By Steve Jones
It’s been some time since I provided a car update, so I decided to...
Microsoft Fabric OneLake Shortcuts: When to Use Them and When Not To
By James Serra
An architecture scenario Imagine separate Sales, Finance, Shared Data, and Executive Analytics workspaces. Sales...
Forums
Managing Incidents and Fighting Fires
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Backing Up a DMK
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The Quiet Part
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Question of the Day
Backing Up a DMK
In SQL Server 2025, I have a database with a Database Masker Key (DMK). I want to back up this key and keep a copy offline. When do I have to open this key before running the backup?
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