The Problem Is You
Why doesn't SQL Server just run smoothly after it's installed? Steve Jones thinks the problem is you.
Why I Say Something about Running as Administrator
On a couple of recent webcasts, I pointed out the folks were running with the local Administrator account. To start this out, I'm not a big fan of security by obfuscation. Security by obfuscation (not code obfuscation, but security by obscurity, if...
Making Mistakes - Database Weekly (June 1, 2009)
We all make mistakes, even when we are trying to help others. What should you do about it? Steve Jones has a few thoughts on advice online.
No More SOX
A legal challenge to the Sarbannes-Oxley act is being heard this fall. Steve Jones doesn't necessarily think this is a bad law.
Writing Dynamic Stored Procedure
In this article I have shown a way of writing queries in which WHERE clause of the query is executed dynamically depending on values of input parameters.
Configuring Auto-Retry on SQL Server Agent
The goal of this post is to explain how to take advantage of Auto-Retry and why you will want to use it. I hope to clarify in which circumstances an auto-retry works best and when not to use it also. The (disclaimer!) point is that every job has its own constraints, requirements, and has to be evaluated individually for whether an auto-retry will work. I will try and keep this summary short and crisp, but still with enough detail to understand auto retry best.
We Loaded 1 Terabyte in 30 Minutes with SSIS, and So Can You
In February 2008, Microsoft announced a record-breaking data load using Microsoft® SQL Server® Integration Services (SSIS): 1 TB of data in less than 30 minutes. That data load, using SQL Server Integration Services, was 30% faster than the previous best time using a commercial ETL tool. This paper outlines what it took: the software, hardware, and configuration used. We will describe what we did to achieve that result, and offer suggestions for how to relate these techniques to typical scenarios.
Making Mistakes - Database Weekly (June 1, 2009)
We all make mistakes, even when we are trying to help others. What should you do about it? Steve Jones has a few thoughts on advice online.
No More SOX
A legal challenge to the Sarbannes-Oxley act is being heard this fall. Steve Jones doesn't necessarily think this is a bad law.
No More SOX
A legal challenge to the Sarbannes-Oxley act is being heard this fall. Steve Jones doesn't necessarily think this is a bad law.
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