Reassess Your Configuration
It's a good idea for anyone managing systems to periodically check them and see if anything needs to change.
Database version control: Getting started with Flyway
Flyway is a multi-platform, cross-database version control tool. Carlos Robles explains Flyway’s history and shows how it works
How to Check SQL Server Version When Service is Not Running
In this article we look at several ways to find the version of SQL Server that is installed when the SQL Server service is not running.
Data Element Names and Scoping Rules in SQL
How you name data elements in databases and applications programs has often been a matter of personal taste. Decades ago, when I worked for state government, there is a COBOL programmer who would pick a theme for his programs. The paragraphs and variables would be named based on the current theme. One of his programs […]
The Responsibility for Bugs
Today Steve wonders who should be responsible for software bugs, something of which we have no shortage of in our industry.
Import Data from PDF to SQL Server
In this article we look at how we can use R and SQL Server to import lottery numbers from a PDF document into a SQL Server table.
Masking Data in Practice
Phil Factor takes a strategic look at common SQL data masking techniques, and the challenges inherent in masking certain types of sensitive and personal data, while ensuring that it still looks like the real data, and retains its referential integrity, and distribution characteristics.
Easy Data Access Plus Security
As I type this, I've got my right leg propped up on a stool. That's because if I sit for any length of time with the knee bent, I have a great deal of pain on standing. Seems there's something horribly wrong with my knee. I still don't know what yet. I've had an MRI […]
How to Decipher @@Options
This article will show how you can read the @@OPTIONS variable and determine your settings.
Picking a Goal for 2021
If you have set any new goals for your career this year, Steve is asking you to let him know.
Blogs
How to Find Expensive Queries in Amazon Redshift
Slow-running queries can degrade your Redshift cluster’s performance and lead to increased costs. Identifying...
The Notification Trap: How Input Fatigue Is Killing Deep Work in Tech
By gbargsley
If you've been here before, you know this blog is usually about SQL Server,...
Designing a Storage Load Test for SQL Server
I’ve been doing storage load tests for SQL Server for a long time, both...
Forums
How Long is a Long I/O?
Comments posted to this topic are about the item How Long is a Long...
T-SQL Trigonometric Functions in SQL Server
Comments posted to this topic are about the item T-SQL Trigonometric Functions in SQL...
Half of All Engineers
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Half of All Engineers
Question of the Day
How Long is a Long I/O?
In SQL Server 2025, a long I/O is recorded in the error log with message 833. How long much an I/O request be outstanding before this message is written to the log?
See possible answers