SQL Server Memory Usage Query
Check out this SQL Server function that can return memory usage information for a SQL Server instance such as the amount of memory SQL Server is using and available memory on the machine.
No-code Software Engineering
The idea that software engineers might be better with no-code tools is a direction Steve thinks is misaligned with the problem. We should help developers learn to be better.
“Included columns” for non-clustered indexes explained
Learn about the advantages and disadvantages of using INCLUDE columns in your index.
Documentation. The Under Recognised Skill
Documentation may not be something we aspire to do, but it is a valuable skill.
Reducing the Frequency of SQL Server Central Newsletters
We are reducing the sending of the SQL Server Central newsletter to three days a week.
Power BI for Business Intelligence
Power BI is becoming widely used for reporting and data analysis. There are many different versions of Power BI and the features that are offered and this article provides an overview of what is available.
Running SQL Code Analysis during Flyway Migrations
A set of PowerShell automation script tasks for running database build and migrations tasks. This article describes the SQL code analysis task, which will check the syntax of the SQL code in your databases and your migration scripts for 'code smells'.
Ransomware May Get Worse
Criminal groups using ransomware are working together, which is bad news for all organizations.
Building a SQL Server data dictionary
In this article, Edward Pollack explains the benefits of a SQL Server data dictionary and how to build one.
How do you monitor your databases? Take the survey!
Calling data professionals! We want to know how you are monitoring your servers, instances and databases. By taking the 2021 State of Database Monitoring survey, you’ll help us better understand how the community monitor and manage their estates, and the challenges they face. You’ll get exclusive early access to the 2021 State of Database Monitoring report, plus, one lucky winner will receive a $500 Amazon gift card in our prize draw.
Blogs
Automatic Index Compaction
By ReviewMyDB
Index maintenance has always meant nightly jobs and a window you have to defend....
The Goldilocks problem – Materialized Views
I’m sure you’ve all heard the tale of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, but...
Monday Monitor Tips: Virtual Machine Usage and Cost
By Steve Jones
One of the things I’ve been requesting for a number of years is cost...
Forums
SQL Art, Part 4: Happy 4th of July — A British DBA's Guide to Celebrating a War We Don't Talk About
Comments posted to this topic are about the item SQL Art, Part 4: Happy...
How We Handled a Vendor Retry That Loaded Twice in Snowflake
Comments posted to this topic are about the item How We Handled a Vendor...
Cognitive Coverage
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Cognitive Coverage
Question of the Day
Getting the Average
I have this data in the dbo.Commission table in a SQL Server 2022 database.
salesperson commission Brian 12 Brian 16 Andy 7 Andy 14 Andy 21 Steve 20 Steve NULLAll the data is a varchar, and I decide to run this query to get the totals for each salesperson.
SELECT SalesPerson
, AVG(TRY_PARSE(Commission AS int)) AS TotalCommission
FROM commission
GROUP BY SalesPerson
GO
What average commission is calculated for Steve? See possible answers