SQL Server Rounding Tips and Tricks
This article shows different options to use the rounding functions in SQL Server.
The Conferences of the Future
With many conferences going virtual, Steve wonders what the future holds.
Updated First Responder Kit and Consultant Toolkit for March 2020
In the immortal words of “Orange” Julius Caesar as written by Shake’s peer, “Beware the bugs of March.” It took us 2,064 years, but we’ve finally fixed those bugs, plus added a couple of new features.
Helpful Unix Commands/Debugging made easy
The purpose of this document is to walkthrough helpful Unix commands that would help use Unix/Linux operating system, debug & resolve any issues in a more efficient and timely manner.
Solve SQL Server Agent Job Dependencies with Data Driven Solution
In this tip I will demonstrate a simple way of launching a SQL Agent job when the job it depends on completes successfully.
Take the 2020 State of Database Monitoring Survey
The State of Database Monitoring survey is open. How are you currently monitoring your database estate? Are you working cross-platform? Tell us your opinions in our annual survey on the State of Database Monitoring for your chance to win a $500 Amazon voucher.
Take the survey.
BYOD Fingerprint Concerns
Fingerprints provide some security, but a research suggests not necessarily much. Steve has a few thoughts.
Advanced Performance Tuning for Microsoft SQL Server
No matter where you run your SQL Server® instances—on-premises, in a virtual machine, or in an Azure SQL Database Managed instance—the challenge is the same. How do you ensure you get optimum performance? Is the virtual machine impacting your database instance performance? Which queries cause the most blocking or deadlocking? Are you consuming more DTUs in your Azure SQL Database than you budgeted for?
Teams That Ship
Running software teams isn't as easy as it may seem, and the way you manage a startup is different than a mature organization. Steve has a few comments on the process one angel investor implements.
Blogs
Microsoft Build 2026 announcements
By James Serra
Once again there were a number of Microsoft Build announcements related to data and...
T-SQL Tuesday #199: Roundup
A good week ago I hosted the monthly T-SQL Tuesday blog party. I invited...
No Shortcuts for the SQLCMD Batch Terminator: #SQLNewBlogger
By Steve Jones
I was messing around with SQLCMD and I realized something I hadn’t known. I’ve...
Forums
Increment a number in a SQL Query based on a value
I have an issue where I have a Bill of Material list of items...
Follow Your Hunch
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Follow Your Hunch
What Happens When You Ask a Local AI to Query Your Database?
Comments posted to this topic are about the item What Happens When You Ask...
Question of the Day
Detecting Characters
I have a SQL Server 2022 English default installation on a server. I want to detect if there are any upper case characters in rows and I have this code:
SELECT CustomerNameID,
CustomerName
FROM dbo.CustomerName
WHERE CustomerName = LOWER(CustomerName)
Here is the sample data I am testing with:
CustomerNameID CustomerName 1 John Smith 2 Sarah Johnson 3 MICHAEL WILLIAMS 4 JENNIFER BROWN 5 david jones 6 emily davis 7 Robert Miller 8 LISA WILSON 9 christopher moore 10 Amanda TaylorHow many rows are returned? See possible answers