How to Format Dates in SQL Server (Hint: Don’t Use FORMAT!)
Here's why you should NEVER use the FORMAT() function in SQL Server.
What Do We Want to See in SQL Server?
Microsoft reads your feedback, but doesn't always build it. However, your votes can sway them at times. Today Steve asks what you'd like to see added to SQL Server.
[From the archives] 5 things to look for in a 3rd party database monitoring tool
Are you evaluating the effectiveness of your homegrown database monitoring tool or looking at investing in a 3rd party one? This helpful blog post suggests 5 things to look for in your evaluations.
Generate Random Dates in T-SQL
In this article we look at how to generate random dates in SQL Server to build a sample dataset along with code and examples
Digging into an AI Algorithm
One place where Artificial Intelligence systems might shine is the medical field.
Tracking Configuration Changes Against a Baseline
One of the great things about SQL Server is that the platform has grown to include a number of configuration options and switches that allow a DBA to get the most performance from their instance that is possible. One of the downsides of the platform, however, is that any sysadmin can make changes (or db_owner […]
Identify and Correct a Large SQL Server Error Log
Learn how to find and remove a large SQL Server Error Log file when it consumes a lot of space on your drive
Increasing the Visibility of Database Changes in Flyway Development
If you save a metadata 'model' for every new version of a database created by Flyway, you can compare the current model to the previous one to see what changed. In turn, you can then generate a database E-R diagram that highlights the changed objects, instantly making those changes visible to other team members
How Often Do You Update During Issues?
When a disaster occurs and your staff is working on it, what cadence of updates should your customers expect?
How to Get Data Using Python in Power BI
This article shows how you can incorporate Python scripting inside a Power BI report.
Blogs
Who Are You Doing It For?
By Brian Kelley
But as I've matured over the years, I came to realize that I needed...
Presenting Twice in May 2026
By alevyinroc
I will be presenting my latest session, Documenting Your Work for Worry-Free Vacations, in-person...
Finding the Next Sequence Value: #SQLNewBlogger
By Steve Jones
I saw a question asking about the next sequence value and decided to try...
Forums
DB Design Methods
I've read a few posts regarding what we use to design DB models and...
Auto Update Statistics not triggering on filtered indexes
I've got a table with 186,703,969 rows, about 300GB of data. There are several...
What is the difference between SQL Server and SQL Database?
I created a SQL Database in Azure Portal but I've just noticed it also...
Question of the Day
An Unusual Identity
What values are returned when I run this code?
CREATE TABLE dbo.IdentityTest2
(
id NUMERIC(10,0) IDENTITY(10,10) PRIMARY KEY,
somevalue VARCHAR(20)
)
GO
INSERT dbo.IdentityTest2
(
somevalue
)
VALUES
( 'Steve')
, ('Bill')
GO
SELECT top 10
id
FROM dbo.IdentityTest2 See possible answers