Encrypt and Decrypt Passwords in SQL Server with PowerShell
In this article we look at how to securely store data in text files that could be used for SQL Server authentication or wherever you need to keep data secure.
Unlocking the “PASS Pro” Educational series
Thanks to the consent of the speakers, the expert-led educational training courses covering the following four topics: Data Modernization, Azure Migration, Azure Synapse, Azure SQL, are now available to all. You can watch the sessions and learn from a range of experts online, for free.
Take Care of People
The transformation of a way of working is hard, but it's important to realize this is more than just technology. This also includes people.
Using Non-SQL Languages in Azure Data Studio
In this article, we examine the support for non-SQL languages in Azure Data Studio, primarily PoSh and Python.
Delete SQL Statement in SQL Server, Oracle and PostgreSQL
Learn about the differences and similarities when deleting data from SQL Server, Oracle and PostgreSQL with the several examples in this article.
Reusing Query Results in SSMS
Every time you need to reuse the query results from SSMS, for example to populate another table, or to search for matching rows in another table, it will inevitably mean a lot of manual tweaking to the get the results into the right format. Louis Davidson uncovers three SQL Prompt gems that can remove all this pain.
Google Cloud Certification for Microsoft Database Engineer
Introduction I recently passed the Google Cloud Professional Data Engineer certification exam, Professional Data Engineer Certification. It took me about five month to prepare for this, and I would like to share my thoughts of why I decided to take it on and how I prepared for it. At the moment, Google cloud (GCP) is […]
SQL Server authentication methods, logins, and database users
Understanding SQL Server security is a critical skill. Greg Larsen explains SQL Server authentication methods, logins, and database users in this article.
What is Azure Databricks?
The goal of this article is to illuminate exactly what Azure Databricks is so that you can determine what parts of the platform might make sense to add to your organization's data stack.
Blogs
Advice I Like: Respect
By Steve Jones
“Don’t aim to have others like you; aim to have them respect you.” –...
Blue Sky Programming – The Optimism Trap
Many years ago, before I joined Oracle, I was working on a major modernisation...
Setting Up a Mac for Data Engineering and AI Work
If you work with data pipelines, SQL, notebooks, or machine learning models, a Mac...
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...
locking down agent for new user on our dev machine
hi , a new user wants to be able to add sql agent jobs...
SQL Server Enum Implementation: A Single-Row View Strategy for Avoiding Magic Values
Comments posted to this topic are about the item SQL Server Enum Implementation: A...
Question of the Day
BIT_COUNT I
In SQL Server 2025, I have a table (dbo.UserPermission) that contains this data:
UserID UserPermissions 15 23 37What is returned when I run this code:
select bit_count(UserPermissions) as PermissionCount from dbo.UserPermission where UserID = 3;See possible answers