Updating a Cryptographic Provider for EKM with Azure Key Vault - Level 5 of the Stairway to TDE
This next level of the Stairway to TDE shows how to upgrade your EKM cryptographic provider.
Who is Irresponsible?
It can be irresponsible to use AI, but is it in many cases? Steve has a few thoughts.
How to Draw Line Graphs in SSMS
Ever just need a quick visualization of some numbers to get a rough idea of the trend, like this
The day-to-day pressures of a DBA team, and how we can work smarter with automation and AI
What a DBA team actually deals with There are many issues a DBA team faces, from servers going down to login access not being requested on time. These are not glamorous problems, but they are the problems that stop everyone else doing their jobs. In a modern environment you would expect a lot of the […]
Everything you should know about the SQL Server Resource database
Every SQL Server instance contains a database that most people never query, never back up, and never even see in Object Explorer. Yet, without it, SQL Server would not start. Enter the SQL Server Resource database.
Don't Panic
And bring a towel. If you don't know what I'm talking about, you have homework. You know with that lead in I'm going to talk about AI. Sorry, can't help it. It's on my mind quite a lot. It's in the news, oh, a whole lot. The majority of those stories can be summed up […]
Acting with Confidence
Acting with confidence is great, but how do you decide when there are potential impacts and concerns about your actions? Steve has a few thoughts today.
Creating a Simple and Flexible Random Password Generator in SQL Server
Generating temporary passwords is a common requirement in many applications. Users may need to reset a forgotten password, new accounts may require an initial password, or developers may generate test credentials. While password generation is often implemented in application code, doing it directly in SQL Server provides clear advantages. It centralizes the logic, ensures consistency […]
Blogs
Asking for Help Isn’t a Weakness
By Brian Kelley
During COVID, I attended training on software/enterprise architecture given by Mark Richards. One of...
The Proof of the Backup Is in the Pudding
For me, the objective is straightforward: have a backup strategy that is reliable, understandable,...
T-SQL Tuesday #204 – Are blogs still relevant?
By DesertDBA
Note: This post is the invitation for T-SQL Tuesday #204 on November 3rd, 2026....
Forums
The ##MS_DatabaseConnector## User
Comments posted to this topic are about the item The ##MS_DatabaseConnector## User
Planning for Change
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Planning for Change
Importing Excel files into SQL Server, Azure Edition
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Importing Excel files into SQL...
Question of the Day
The ##MS_DatabaseConnector## User
On SQL Server 2025, I run this code as a sysadmin:
CREATE LOGIN Demo WITH PASSWORD = 'Demo1234567' GO ALTER SERVER ROLE ##MS_DatabaseConnector## ADD MEMBER Demo GOI then login as Demo and run this:
USE sandbox go SELECT CURRENT_USERWhat is returned? See possible answers