TinyInt, SmallInt, Int and BigInt
SQL Server guru David Poole takes a look at the different integer data types and the impact of each of those on your database.
Toward Integrity - Part 2
An exploration of the process of translating a conceptual model to a logical model, and ultimately, a faithful implementation using T-SQL.
Relational Databases 101
In this sample chapter, William R. Vaughn gives you a kick-start on designing relational databases that can perform better, be easier to maintain, and be more successful thanks to a combination of formal rules and informal suggestions to normalize your database.
TSQL Regular Expression Workbench
This Workbench is about using Regular expressions with SQL Server via TSQL. It doesn't even attempt to teach how regular expressions work or how to pull them together. There are plenty of such resources on the Web. The aim is to demonstrate a few possibilities and try to persuade you to experiment with them if you don't already use Regex with SQL Server.
All I Want For Christmas Is ...
What do IT workers want for Christmas? Let us know in this Friday's poll.
Performance Effects of NOCOUNT
Most SQL Server programmers know to use the SET NOCOUNT command to prevent the number of rows message from being returned to the client. But how does this affect performance? Does it make sense to qualify the owner on your objects? SQL Server guru David Poole brings us some performance analysis of how your stored procedures perform.
Best Practices for Credit-Card Software
Visa has developed Payment Applications Best Practices and will begin implementing mandates concerning them
CLR Inside Out: Writing Reliable .NET Code
When we talk about something being reliable, we're referring to it being dependable and predictable. When it comes to software, however, there are other key attributes that must also be present for the code to be considered reliable.
Why store sensitive data if you don't have to?
Storing sensitive data in your database leads to security risks. Learn how not storing sensitive data indefinitely is a form of data protection.
A Smart Smartphone
Cell phones are great communication tools, but that's mostly what they do, even for IT folks. But Steve Jones talks about some other possibilities and potential problems.
Blogs
Upgrading SQL Server Containers on the Laptop
By Steve Jones
I don’t have SQL Server installed on my laptop. In an effort to keep...
How to Find Expensive Queries in Amazon Redshift
Slow-running queries can degrade your Redshift cluster’s performance and lead to increased costs. Identifying...
The Notification Trap: How Input Fatigue Is Killing Deep Work in Tech
By gbargsley
If you've been here before, you know this blog is usually about SQL Server,...
Forums
SQL 2019 instance with AG, across 2 Windows 2016 OS servers - OSin-place upgrade
Hi all Can I get some perspective from the community please on performing in-place...
How Long is a Long I/O?
Comments posted to this topic are about the item How Long is a Long...
T-SQL Trigonometric Functions in SQL Server
Comments posted to this topic are about the item T-SQL Trigonometric Functions in SQL...
Question of the Day
How Long is a Long I/O?
In SQL Server 2025, a long I/O is recorded in the error log with message 833. How long much an I/O request be outstanding before this message is written to the log?
See possible answers