Creating a Linked Server - SQL School Video
Linked Servers allow SQL Server to access data on other systems, SQL Server, Oracle, Access, Excel, and others. MVP Andy Warren shows how to set one up in this SQL School video.
Dynamic SQL Merge
This article by new author Glen Schwickerath uses dynamic SQL and SQL Server 2008's MERGE statement to create a useful stored procedure tool for synchronizing tables.
Managing Risk
Evaluating risk is something we do every day. Steve Jones talks a bit about using this to make ourselves better.
Dealing with Difficult Forum Users - The Flip Side
Earlier I talked about dealing with the difficult forum user from the perspective of providing help. Now let us look at from the flip side of the coin. You are asking for help and you aren't getting what you want or need. The first thing you have...
SQL Server consolidation strategies and best practices
Learn about the benefits of SQL Server 2008 consolidation on Windows 2008, with details on the different consolidation strategies available to organizations.
Duplicate Records using SQLCMD
We have an article here from Renato Buda that shows how to delete duplicate records from your tables. SQLCMD is used with variables that make it easy to write a general purpose script for any table.
The Disappearing DBA
During a "difficult period", a developer often sinks from view. When things are going well, suddenly they are the gunslinger, the hotshot. The DBA often looks on wistfully. For him, the "fame trajectory" seems to work in reverse.
Exploring SQL Server 2008’s Filtered Indexes
One of the most interesting features in SQL Server 2008 is filtered indexes. This article starts with a quick explanation and then digs into the details and results.
Handling workloads on SQL Server 2008 with Resource Governor
SQL Server 2005 resource allocation policies treat all workloads equally, and allocate shared resources as they are requested. It sometimes causes a disproportionate distribution of resources, which in turn results in uneven performance or unexpected slowdowns whereas the new Resource Governor of SQL Server 2008 allows organizations to define resource limits and priorities for different workloads, which enables concurrent workloads to provide consistent performance to the end users.
LinkedIn - Part 2
Recently I posted LinkedIn (part 1) about my efforts to better understand and use it as a networking platform. It ended up generating a lot of good comments, always nice to see, and I'll be addressing some of those here and/or in part 3 coming up...
Blogs
A New Word: Ecstatic Shock
By Steve Jones
ecstatic shock – n. a surge of energy upon catching a glimpse from someone...
The CDO’s Playbook for AI Driven Decision Making
By Chris Yates
The New Arena of Leadership The role of the Chief Data Officer is no...
sp_snapshot – The easy way to take database snapshots of one or more databases – V3.0
Presenting you with an updated version of our sp_snapshot procedure, allowing you to easily...
Forums
Lessons from the Postmark-MCP Backdoor
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Lessons from the Postmark-MCP Backdoor
Arc Enabled SQL Server
Just saw the "Azure Extension for SQL Server" Does anyone has experience with it?...
Recursive Select - What is this really doing
I've noticed several instances of what looks like a recursive insert with the format:...
Question of the Day
The Maximum Value in the Identity Column
I have a table with this data:
TravelLogID CityID StartDate EndDate 1 1 2025-01-01 2025-01-06 2 2 2025-01-01 2025-01-06 3 3 2025-01-01 2025-01-06 4 4 2025-01-01 2025-01-06 5 5 2025-01-01 2025-01-06I run this code:
SELECT IDENT_CURRENT('TravelLog')
I get the value 5 back. Now I do this:
SET IDENTITY_INSERT dbo.TravelLog ON
INSERT dbo.TravelLog
(
TravelLogID,
CityID,
StartDate,
EndDate
)
VALUES
(25, 5, '2025-09-12', '2025-09-17')
SET IDENTITY_INSERT dbo.TravelLog OFF
I now run this code.
DBCC CHECKIDENT(TravelLog)
GO
INSERT dbo.TravelLog
(
CityID,
StartDate,
EndDate
)
VALUES
(4, '2025-10-14', '2025-10-17')
GO
What is the value for TravelLogID for the row I inserted for CityID 4 and dates starting on 14 Oct 2025?
See possible answers