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.
Data Modeling using ERWIN and SQL Server 2000
Using data modeling tools should be something that all SQL Server DBAs involved in development use, but most of us cannot afford the tools or have the expertise to use them. Jambu Krishnamurthy brings us a new article that shows how you can use Erwin to work with your data model.
Blogs
Claude finds two cryptographic weaknesses (but the sky isn’t falling)
By Brian Kelley
If you haven't seen the announcement, Anthropic was able to utilize Claude (Mythos Preview)...
Generate Embeddings in SQL with Aurora and Bedrock
Most embedding pipelines on AWS have the same shape: a job reads rows out...
Resolving SQL Server Transaction Log Issues Efficiently
By Arun Sirpal
Transaction log issues are one of the quietest ways a healthy database turns into...
Forums
Symmetric Key Encryption
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Symmetric Key Encryption
The “Successful Login” Dilemma: Why Your Login Auditing Strategy Might Be Hurting Your Server
Comments posted to this topic are about the item The “Successful Login” Dilemma: Why...
Building Your Own Software
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Building Your Own Software
Question of the Day
Symmetric Key Encryption
If I run this statement in SQL Server 2025, how is the password encrypted?
CREATE SYMMETRIC KEY MySymmetricKey WITH ALGORITHM = AES_256, KEY_SOURCE = 'My secret key source passphrase', IDENTITY_VALUE = 'My secret identity value' ENCRYPTION BY PASSWORD = 'S&perS#cretP@ssword7'; GOSee possible answers