Detecting Data Breaches
Data breaches make the news on an almost daily basis. There is no turning back, however, as we are firmly entrenched in this digital way of life. Brian Kelley discusses some of the reasons data breaches occur and what we can do to prevent them.
Optimizing Your Query Plans with the SQL Server 2014 Cardinality Estimator
SQL Server 2014 introduces the first major redesign of the SQL Server Query Optimizer cardinality estimation process since version 7.0. The goal for the redesign was to improve accuracy, consistency and supportability of key areas within the cardinality estimation process, ultimately affecting average query execution plan quality and associated workload performance. This paper provides an overview of the primary changes made to the cardinality estimator functionality by the Microsoft query processor team, covering how to enable and disable the new cardinality estimator behavior, and showing how to troubleshoot plan-quality regressions if and when they occur.
Enable FIPS 140-2 Compliance in SQL Server
What is FIPS? How do I use it? What is going to break if I do use it?
Power BI Introduction: Working with Power BI Desktop — Part 2
Power BI Desktop is the free tool from Microsoft for developing in Power BI. In this article, Robert Sheldon walks you through importing and manipulating data with the Query Editor in Power BI Desktop.
Receive SQL Server Alerts through Slack
In this tip we look at how we can use Python and SQL Server 2017 to send alerts from SQL Server to Slack messaging service.
Common Mistakes
This week Steve Jones is wondering what the common mistakes that T-SQL developers make are.
SQL Server Restart or Cluster Failover Notification
How to create an automatic SQL restart or failover notification.
Blogs
Funny Money: #SQLNewBlogger
By Steve Jones
While wandering around the documentation looking for some Question of the Day topics, I...
Why Database AI Agents need Layers?
By Arun Sirpal
Third part in my Ai series with databases. When building AI solutions within the...
Un-Migrating From the Cloud: T-SQL Tuesday #199
By Steve Jones
This month we have a very interesting invitation from Koen Verbeeck. He has hosted...
Forums
How Do the Experts Become Experts?
Comments posted to this topic are about the item How Do the Experts Become...
Stairway to Reliable Database Deployments Level 4 – Preparing for Production Deployment
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Stairway to Reliable Database Deployments...
Secure Communications
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Secure Communications
Question of the Day
Secure Communications
As of June 2026, what is the best version of TLS to use with SQL Server?
See possible answers