Removing Extended Properties
With the new labeling and classificiation options in SQL Server, there might be a need to remove these labels before deploying the database.
Research on the Changing Workplace
The workplace is certainly changing with the COVID-19 pandemic. Steve shares a few learnings from Microsoft's work from home experiment.
Install SQL Server Integration Services in Visual Studio 2019
Learn the step by step process to install SQL Server 2019 Integration Services in Visual Studio as well as the history for the tool.
Tracking use of Deprecated SQL Server Features
Phil Factor explains how to use SQL Prompt, or SQL Change Automation, to detect use of deprecated SQL Server syntax, during development, and Dynamic Management Views and Extended Events to track its use on working databases.
Honorifics in the 21st century
As data professionals, we should understand how language and forms of address can impact our data model. In the 21st century, we should also learn how to communicate with colleagues in a respectful and professional manner.
Getting Started with Azure Blueprints
Learn about Azure Blueprints, available in the Azure portal, which is a new method of deploying Azure Resources through ARM templates.
The Old Way or the New Way
Learning to adapt the way we work is important for advancing our career, but this can be harder than we expect.
Creating a Simple Development Harness with SQL Compare and SQL Data Generator
There is no single, correct approach to developing and testing your SQL batches and routines. It depends on the requirement. For simple tasks, like modifying and testing a view or stored procedure, SQL Compare and SQL Data Generator, combined, provide a useful, lightweight development harness.
What If You Really DO Need to Shrink a Database?
You’ve heard that shrinking a database is bad because it introduces both external and internal fragmentation, it causes blocking, it causes transaction log growth while it runs, and it’s slow and single-threaded. You understand that if it’s just a matter of 10-20-30% of a database, and the database is only 100-200GB, you might as well just leave the space there, because you’re gonna end up using it anyway.
Blogs
A New Word: los vidados
By Steve Jones
los vidados – n. the half-remembered acquaintances you knew years ago, who you might...
In-Person CISA Training – April 13-16, 2026
By Brian Kelley
I will be leading an in-person Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) exam prep class...
EightKB 2026
EightKB is back again for 2026! The biggest online SQL Server internals conference is...
Forums
query to track time spent on individual tasks in SSIS
Hi everyone I am looking at building a query to determine how much time...
SQL Server Transactional Replication from Always On Availability Groups to Azure SQL Database
Comments posted to this topic are about the item SQL Server Transactional Replication from...
Hidden Heroes
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Hidden Heroes
Question of the Day
Identities and Sequences I
When thinking of the Identity property for auto incrementing columns and sequences for the same action, which are explicitly linked to increment a number in a table when a new row is added?
See possible answers