SQL Server DMV Green Paper
Get a free green paper, an early access look at a new DMV book from longtime author Ian Stirk.
Generating charts in SQL Server Reporting Services
This article displays how we can place charts in reports created using SSRS.
Get In a Line
Steve Jones talks a little about disk alignment for your SQL Server instances. This is something that you might to check on your systems and see if you can improve performance.
Keeping It All In Memory
With the release of an in-memory database from Sybase, is it time for SQL Server to join the fray?
Concatenating Strings to NULL values
We recently ran into this situation of reports containing nothing but blank spaces. When investigated the reason was that the String...
Learn about SQL Server without leaving your desk
SQL Server Central, with Pragmatic Works, is offering a new option in learning: high-quality training at a fraction of the usual cost with work absence slashed to zero. Our classes are done online with the same type of quality instructor you would receive from our private classes but done at your own desk. Even though you're doing the class online, the instructor can still hear you while you ask questions and optionally see your screen. Because the class is done in half-day increments, you also still have time to do your job.
Managing Data Growth in SQL Server
'Help, my database ate my disk drives!'. Many DBAs spend most of their time dealing with variations of the problem of database processes consuming too much disk space. This happens because of errors such as incorrect configurations for recovery models, data growth for large objects and queries that overtax TempDB resources. Rodney describes, with some feeling, the errors that can lead to this sort of crisis for the working DBA, and their solution.
Rotating Keys
This Friday's poll deals with security. Steve Jones asks how often you might rotate those encryption keys to ensure that your systems are secure.
ROW_NUMBER(): An Efficient Alternative to Subqueries
The ROW_NUMBER function has drastically changed the way we can write a number of queries in T-SQL. New author Francis Rodrigues brings us a few places where this function can improve the efficiency of your code.
Brad's Sure DBA Checklist
Sometimes, all a DBA needs, to help with day-to-day work, is a checklist of best-practices and dos and don’ts. It provides a handy reminder. Brad has come up with a new update to his famous checklist...
Blogs
Upgrading SQL Server Containers on the Laptop
By Steve Jones
I don’t have SQL Server installed on my laptop. In an effort to keep...
How to Find Expensive Queries in Amazon Redshift
Slow-running queries can degrade your Redshift cluster’s performance and lead to increased costs. Identifying...
The Notification Trap: How Input Fatigue Is Killing Deep Work in Tech
By gbargsley
If you've been here before, you know this blog is usually about SQL Server,...
Forums
SQL 2019 instance with AG, across 2 Windows 2016 OS servers - OSin-place upgrade
Hi all Can I get some perspective from the community please on performing in-place...
How Long is a Long I/O?
Comments posted to this topic are about the item How Long is a Long...
T-SQL Trigonometric Functions in SQL Server
Comments posted to this topic are about the item T-SQL Trigonometric Functions in SQL...
Question of the Day
How Long is a Long I/O?
In SQL Server 2025, a long I/O is recorded in the error log with message 833. How long much an I/O request be outstanding before this message is written to the log?
See possible answers