Cloud Pace
There are a couple big changes that the cloud brings to us. Steve has a few comments today.
Bloor scores SQL Provision 4.5 out of 5 for test data provisioning
In this independent review of SQL Provision, the Bloor analyst finds that SQL Provision’s combination of database cloning and data masking stands out with “clear advantages over competing approaches, such as data subsetting or synthetic data generation.”
SQL Server function to convert integer date to datetime format
In this tip we look at code you can use to convert an integer date into a datetime format. This is an issue you will face when working the history data for SQL Server Agent Jobs.
Unit Testing, Databases, and You
As database changes are added to the DevOps pipeline, unit testing of those changes becomes crucial. In this article, Adam Hafner describes unit testing and how it applies to databases.
The Worst Comments
Comments in code can be tricky, but certainly some are better than others. What are your bad examples?
Monitor SQL Server Integration Services Packages Stuck in Running Status
In this tip we look at a script to find SSIS packages that are stuck executing and how to end the package execution.
SQL Server Triggers Pros and Cons
In this tip we look at some of the advantages and disadvantages of using triggers in SQL Server.
A Plunge Into TOP
Introduction TOP is one of the many syntactical operators available in T-SQL and at a first view, it could seem very simple and not particularly interesting. According to the official documentation, it “limits the rows returned in a query result set to a specified number of rows or percentage of rows”. The following is the […]
Monitoring After Deployment
This Friday's poll looks at the time after deployment. Can you tell if things were successful? Do you have a formal way to determine if the changes are causing issues?
How to Eliminate Gaps in Identity Values in SQL Server by Disabling the Identity Cache
Learn how to remove gaps in Identity values in SQL Server caused by Identity Cache.
Blogs
ISACA AI Material/Exam Prep Discount (May 18 – June 30, 2026)
By Brian Kelley
If you are considering any of the ISACA AI certs like the Advanced Artificial...
A Fabric solution can be very cost effective
By ChrisJenkins
Are you currently using Microsoft Fabric or considering migrating to it? If so, there...
Track SQL Server Configuration Changes Using the Error Log
By SQLPals
Track SQL Server Configuration Changes Using the Error Log If you...
Forums
Before Using AI with Business Data, Read This
Artificial intelligence tools are quickly becoming part of daily business operations, from document analysis...
Designing SQL Server ETL Pipelines That Don't Break at Scale
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Designing SQL Server ETL Pipelines...
Detecting Deadlocks Quickly
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Detecting Deadlocks Quickly
Question of the Day
Detecting Deadlocks Quickly
In the Database Engine, when a deadlock is detected, what does the detection interval shrink to (in time)?
See possible answers