SQLServerCentral.com - V3
The third evolution in the history of SQLServerCentral.com is now out and available. Read all about the changes we've gone through.
Three Months
That's what we were estimating the rewrite of this site would take. After all, to me it's a pretty simple site, a few content sections, some date specific stuff, scheduling, a few admin tools, not that much, right?
DDL Triggers in SQL Server 2005
DDL Triggers are key improvement in SQL Server auditing, allowing tracking of events such as the creation of a new table, database or user.
A Fun Poll
Since I've spent most of the week at the PASS Summit, and have been busy meeting with people there instead of working on this site, I opted for a more fun, less thought-requiring poll.
Working with Datetime
Datetime data in SQL Server can be a little confusing to work with, especially as many front end languages do not combine the date and time into a single datatype. As a result, T-SQL is sometimes used to manipulate and convert datetime data into more useable formats. Author Leo Peysakhovich has written about some tricks that he uses to reformat and work with datetime data.
Changing Service Credentials
One day, you may need to change those service credentials under which your SQL Server services normally run. If you have a number of servers, then you'll really want to read about Rodney's solution.
Strategies for Testing Data Warehouse Applications
This article presents a strategy for testing ETL applications that perform data movement and populate data warehouses. It is useful information for the testing community as well as designers and managers charged with planning a data warehousing implementation.
Experiences from a Real World Project
SQL Server 2005 Integration Services changed the ETL paradigm for SQL Server developers and DBAs. SSIS expert Jamie Thomson has been working with this platform for a few years and brings us some real world knowledge based on a large project he completed in 2006. (Reprinted from the SQL Server Standard).
Building a Quality BI Framework Solution Starts with a Quality ETL Sol
Developing an effective solution requires quality within and across all components of the BI architecture.
Handling NULL values in SQL Server 2005
In the simplest terms, a NULL value represents an unknown value. It's unknown in the sense that the value is: missing from the system, may not be applicable in the current situation, or might be added later. NULL values are different than any other value and are sometimes hard to compare and handle.
Blogs
Microsoft announces new cybersecurity AI multi-model
By Brian Kelley
Yesterday, July 27, 2026, Microsoft announced a new cybersecurity effort called Project Perception. Included...
Getting the SQL Server MCP Server Running
By Steve Jones
If you’ve wanted a SQL Server MCP server for your databases, it’s available. The...
Introducing azsql-migration-test: Test and Validate Azure SQL Database Migrations
Introducing azsql-migration-test, a small open-source CLI that validates your Azure SQL Database migrations against...
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