Code Writing Code
Do you write code that writes code? Steve Jones thinks this is one of those milestones that marks the maturity of a DBA.
Is Your Database Application DeadLock and Timeout Resistent?
Is your application scalable under increased activity? Timothy Claason brings us a methodology for testing how your application will deal with database load.
Breaking Down TempDB Contention
Breaking Down TempDB Contention
What is tempDB contention? From the outside looking in, tempDB contention may look like any other blocking. There...
Database Activity Monitoring Part 2 - SQL Injection Attacks
If you think through the web sites you visit on a daily basis the chances are that you will need to login to verify who you are. In most cases your username would be stored in a relational database along with all the other registered users on that web site. Hopefully your password will be encrypted and not stored in plain text.
How to use Database mail feature in SQL Server 2000
This article describes a way by which we could use the feature of database mail in SQL Server 2000 itself which is a lot easier than SQL Mail.
Immerse Yourself in Advanced SQL Server Knowledge with Paul S. Randal and Kimberly L. Tripp
A chance to dive deep into SQL Server with Paul Randal and Kimberly Tripp this Spring in Boston.
Working the Door
Steve Jones talks about one of the highlights of his year: working the door at the PASS Community Summit.
Procedural, Semi-Procedural and Declarative Programming in SQL
A lot of the time, the key to making SQL databases perform well is to take a break from the keyboard and rethink the way of approaching the problem; and rethinking in terms of a set-based declarative approach. Joe takes a simple discussion abut a problem with a UDF to illustrate the point that ingrained procedural reflexes can often prevent us from seeing simpler set-based techniques.
SSRS – KPIs without Analysis Services
During a recent project I was asked if it was possible to simulate Key Performance Indicator (KPI) images in SQL...
Converting Access Queries with iff() and DLookup() to SQL Server
This article gives a description of the iff() and DLookup() functions in Access 2007, and a method to converting them to SQL.
Blogs
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...
SQL Server Security Hardening Guide Using the DoD STIG Checklist
Security on your SQL Server is important. That doesn’t need any explaining. But where...
Forums
Backing Up a DMK
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The Quiet Part
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BIT_COUNT in SQL Server
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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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