Back to the Future
Steve Jones asks this Friday if there is anything you wish you might have done differently.
Retrieve List of Databases and their Properties using PowerShell
I would like to translate some of the Transact-SQL scripts that I use every day, starting with the simple ones like retrieving a list of databases and their properties for auditing purposes.
TRY/CATCH - The Great Way to Handle Exceptions in SQL 2005/8
The goal of this post is to explain how to handle errors thanks to a useful T-SQL functionality, available since SQL 2005 onwards, that developers are already used to – and similar to how exceptions are handled in the Visual Studio environment.
Using the FOR XML Clause to Return Query Results as XML
The FOR XML clause in SQL Server causes a lot of difficulty, mainly because it is rather poorly explained in Books-on-Line. We challenged Bob Sheldon to make it seem simple. Here is his sublime response.
Roll Your Own Fuzzy Match / Grouping (Jaro Winkler) - T-SQL
Roll Your Own Fuzzy Match / Grouping (Jaro Winkler) - T-SQL
SQLSaturday #17 Call for Speakers
SQLSaturday #17 will be held Aug 1, 2009 in Baton Rouge, LA. Read more about it.
FILESTREAM Storage in SQL Server 2008
This white paper describes the FILESTREAM feature of SQL Server 2008, which allows storage of and efficient access to BLOB data using a combination of SQL Server 2008 and the NTFS file system. It covers choices for BLOB storage, configuring Windows and SQL Server for using FILESTREAM data, considerations for combining FILESTREAM with other features, and implementation details such as partitioning and performance.
Security Basics: Understanding the Surface Area
When it comes to securing a system, it's important to understand how it might be attacked. That's what surface area is all about. The surface area is the parts of the system which are exposed. For instance, in the case of a default instance of...
Who's At Fault
Who do you blame when software fails? Hopefully you don't hire a lawyer before you do. Steve Jones talks about liability and software.
Who's At Fault
Who do you blame when software fails? Hopefully you don't hire a lawyer before you do. Steve Jones talks about liability and software.
Blogs
The Book of Redgate: Spread across the world
By Steve Jones
This was Redgate in 2010, spread across the globe. First the EU/US Here’s Asia...
Merry Christmas
By John
Today is Christmas and while I do not expect anybody to actual be reading...
Self-Hosting a Photo Server the Whole Family Can Use
By Bert Wagner
Until recently, my family's 90,000+ photos have been hidden away in the depths of...
Forums
Happy Holidays, Let's Do Nerdy Stuff
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Happy Holidays, Let's Do Nerdy...
UNISTR Escape
Comments posted to this topic are about the item UNISTR Escape
Celebrating Tomorrow
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Celebrating Tomorrow
Question of the Day
UNISTR Escape
In SQL Server 2025, I run this command:
SELECT UNISTR('*3041*308A*304C\3068 and good night', '*') as "A Classic";
What is returned? (assume the database has an appropriate collation)
A: 
B: 
C: 
See possible answers