TABLOCK Hint can Negatively Impact SQL Server Concurrency
In this article, we look at how using the Tablock hint in SQL Server could impact concurrency and block other sessions.
Working with Azure DocumentDB: SQL & NoSQL Together
Updating and deleting documents, creating queries, and managing query results in Microsoft's new NoSQL database-as-a-service.
Data Security and AI
Today Steve discusses an aspect of AI that many people are concerned about: data security. Read more and think about how this might affect your organization.
Time Series Data Mining Example with T-SQL when Adding New Data
Learn about working with time series data using T-SQL code and how to add additional data to the data set for more in-depth data mining.
You Are An Inspiration
Hero, Champion, Inspiration. These are words that are bantered around about people regularly. Joe was a hero when he saved that puppy. Betty was the champion runner and won the race. Pat was an inspiration; they work so hard. Hero and champion are universally understood as positive things. Inspiration is typically used as a positive, […]
Comparing Two Execution Plans
This is a short look at a technique that I discovered recently in Management Studio (SSMS). The technique is to compare two graphical execution plans in the tool to understand what they are doing and how two different queries might affect a particular system, both with the image and with the properties' data behind the […]
Black Friday returns to SQLServerFast
November approaches again. For Europeans, that is a month like any other, for Americans, November means: Black Friday, with huge discounts!
Unpivoting Multiple Sets of Columns in SQL Server using CROSS APPLY
Learn how to unpivot data or sets of data with SQL Server queries using CROSS APPLY.
Blogs
“We love to debate minutiae”
By Brian Kelley
I am guilty as charged. The quote was in reference to how people argue...
Advice I Like: Knots
By Steve Jones
Learn how to tie a bowline knot. Practice in the dark. With one hand....
Shifting Mindsets: Why FinOps is Essential for Cloud Efficiency
By HeyMo0sh
As a DevOps practitioner, I’ve always focused on performance, scalability, and automation. But as...
Forums
Windows logins for users migrated from DomainA to DomainB
Hi, I have a SQL Server instance where users connect to via Windows Authentication,...
Multiple Deployment Processes
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Multiple Deployment Processes
How to Use sqlpackage to Detect Schema Drift Between Azure SQL Databases
Comments posted to this topic are about the item How to Use sqlpackage to...
Question of the Day
Upgrading Admin Queries
I have a query from a former DBA that we run on SQL Server 2025 to check on database metadata. This query references sys.sysaltfiles. I want to refactor this code to be more modern. Which DMV should I reference instead?
See possible answers