Checking Up on Developers
This Friday Steve Jones has a poll about developers. Help compile a good list of common mistakes made in SQL Server.
Patterns For High Availability, Scalability, And Computing Power With Windows Azure
Now, Internet-hosted distributed applications with connectivity to internal applications—often referred as Software plus Services (S+S)—are gaining popularity. Organizations are leveraging datacenters hosted by third parties to alleviate concerns about hardware, software, reliability, and scalability. These are just some of the new architecture trends that help you build interoperable applications that scale, reduce capital expenditure, and improve reliability. Cloud computing offers many of these benefits.
Scaling up vs. scaling out with SQL Server 2008
To scale your SQL Server properly means to make it bigger and better. But what is the best method for 2008?
When a Community Rallies!
I have been a bit lax these past few days, but I have been having a bit of a writers block not knowing what to write about. Well, I realized this evening there is something worth writing about, and it is happening right now on SQLServerCentral.com. An...
Flash
Flash. Flash Gordon. There have been a few "Flash"es in Steve Jones career, and the newest one looks interesting.
Sending Mail In SSIS Using Script Task- Simpler and Flexible Approach
Script Task in SSIS can provide simpler implementation of complex mail functionality in comparison to Send Mail task.
Auditing Failed Logins in SQL Server
An auditor has taken a look at our SQL Servers and has told us that we need to audit login failures to the SQL Servers themselves. How do we do this?
Bonuses – Management Inequalities
If you own a business, I believe that you have a right to make more money than the rest of your employees. You are taking on a risk, and greater risk should result in greater reward, at least that’s how capitalism is supposed to work. But what about management...
Median Workbench
SQL Server database engine doesn't have a MEDIAN() aggregate function. This is probably because there are several types of median, such as statistical, financial or vector medians. Calculating Medians are essentially a row-positioning task, since medians are the middle value of an ordered result. Easy to do in SQL? Nope. Joe Celko explains why.
Protect and Monitor
How do you protect and monitor your databases? Auditing is one way, but Steve Jones thinks this subsystem in SQL Server needs to mature.
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