Dataphor
Over the years, there have been several attempts to turn conventional RDBMSs into object relational databases, by inserting an intermediate layer. The driving force behind this was the generally-held assumption that the relational model could not handle complex data types.
Exporting and Versioning Lookup Data: A Real-World Use of the CLR
The CLR has not been well-received and most people use it for Regular Expressions and string functions. Here is an example that goes beyond trivial uses.
Parameterizing Number of “Look Back” Periods with the MDX LastPeriods() Function, Part I
Parameterization of MDX functions is one of those things that cannot be delivered solely via graphical MDX Editor – but then, you really didn’t think that you could avoid actually touching MDX at all, did you? BI Architect Bill Pearson demonstrates a way to parameterize the highly useful LastPeriods() function.
SQL Server Disasters with Preventive Measures
Have you seen disasters in your environment? I would bet you have at some point. Let's see if our top 13 disasters matches your experiences.
Rules, Defaults and the SQL Standard
I see, with some relief that the threatened removal of Rules and Defaults in SQL Server 2008 hasn’t happened. There has been a stay of execution. Even though they are documented, they still come with a dire warning that they are deprecated and will be removed in future versions. They have fallen foul of the SQL Standards committee, and we are now supposed to use check constraints instead.
The Back Door DBA
Steve Jones is taking well-earned break. In his guest editorial slot, Brad McGehee discusses three simple techniques to help DBAs manage their time more effectively.
T-SQL Data Processing
This article from new author Peter Kierstead shows us how to implement your own "fuzzy" dedup/merge logic without resorting to RBAR in T-SQL.
Execute SQL statements in Integration Services
This tutorial walks you through the process of adding SQL statements to your SSIS packages and bundling them into logical units of work if necessary.
Blogs
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...
March 2026 SQL Server Security Updates
By Brian Kelley
On Patch Tuesday, in addition to OS and Office security patches, Microsoft also released...
How Fabric Mirroring Transformed with SQL Server 2025
When mirroring was first released for Azure SQL Database, it used Change Data Capture...
Forums
XACT_ABORT being set to ON by web services
We have two "identical" instances of an ASP.NET web service (or so I have...
OPENQUERY Flexibility
Comments posted to this topic are about the item OPENQUERY Flexibility
A Full Shutdown
Comments posted to this topic are about the item A Full Shutdown
Question of the Day
OPENQUERY Flexibility
Which of these are valid OPENQUERY() uses?
See possible answers