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.
Access external data from Azure Synapse Analytics using Polybase
Learn how you can use Polybase technology in Azure Synapse to load data into your warehouse.
Blogs
Upgrading SQL Server Containers on the Laptop
By Steve Jones
I don’t have SQL Server installed on my laptop. In an effort to keep...
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,...
Forums
SQL 2019 instance with AG, across 2 Windows 2016 OS servers - OSin-place upgrade
Hi all Can I get some perspective from the community please on performing in-place...
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...
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