SQL Server Security Resources
As I work with a particular topic or problem, I often research on the Internet different opinions, white papers, etc. Here is a list of resources that are located both on SQLServerCentral.com and other sites that I have found useful.
Microsoft XML Core Services 4.0 RTM
The core components to Microsoft XML parser have been updated and released to market. The update contains many bug fixes, new features and enhancements to performance.
Auditing Your SQL Server Environment Part I
Ever been placed into a new environment and couldn't
find an ounce of documentation? This article is the first in a series that will help you make an audit of your new environment
and determine if any SQL Server login does not have a password, has a password the same as the login name or a password that is only one character long.
Improving Text and Image Column Performance
This article is a case study of a performance problem at SQLServerCentral.com with our FAQ area using text columns. This will show you how to use the TEXT IN ROW feature built into SQL Server 2000 to improve the performance of these columns.
SQLServerCentral.com Launches April Contest
SQLServerCentral.com launched it April contest on April 1st sponosored by Lockwood Tech and SQL Server Magazine. Win LockWood Tech's Proc-Blaster Enterprise Edition, SQL Server Magazine, or Admin911 all for helping to build the SQL Server community.
AdminLog Added to the Freeware Library
AdminLog, by Lockwood Tech, has been added to the SQLServerCentral.com freeware library. AdminLog is a utility for managing projects, tracking bugs/tasks/assignments, etc.
Interview with Author Fernando Guerrero
Learn how to make the most out of ADO.NET and SQL Server. Find out how the new .NET Data Provider can boost SQL Server performance.
Non-Continous Replicaton and The LogReader
Last year Andy wrote about turning off the log reader as a way to reduce the overhead on a server, primarily when you have many logreaders running. In this follow up article he talks about the downside of using this technique and how the behavior of the logreader can be "tweaked" to make using non-continuous replication a little less of a headache.
Blogs
Narrow Task Decomposition in AI Pipeline Agents
A nightly load into sales_fact fails. Ask an orchestrating agent to break down the...
Car Update: August 2026
By Steve Jones
It’s been some time since I provided a car update, so I decided to...
Microsoft Fabric OneLake Shortcuts: When to Use Them and When Not To
By James Serra
An architecture scenario Imagine separate Sales, Finance, Shared Data, and Executive Analytics workspaces. Sales...
Forums
Managing Incidents and Fighting Fires
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Managing Incidents and Fighting Fires
Backing Up a DMK
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Backing Up a DMK
The Quiet Part
Comments posted to this topic are about the item The Quiet Part
Question of the Day
Backing Up a DMK
In SQL Server 2025, I have a database with a Database Masker Key (DMK). I want to back up this key and keep a copy offline. When do I have to open this key before running the backup?
See possible answers