How to Get a Random Row from a Large Table
Brent Ozar takes a look at four different ways to get a random row from a large SQL Server table.
Charles Bachman and Pointer Chains
Joe Celko reminisces about the origins of databases and one of the early pioneers, Charles Bachman. He explains how pointer chains were used to traverse data in the NDL standard and referential integrity that we use today.
Balancing Performance and Readability
Developers need to consider not only system performance when writing code, but also how readability impacts code maintenance.
Different Ways to Import JSON Files into SQL Server
Nat Sundar explains the different ways to load JSON data into SQL Server, along the way also covering the use OpenRowset and OpenJSON functions to manage JSON data effectively.
If only the US would follow ...
Governments are requiring better security, and Steve wishes the US would follow.
Set-Based String Splitting table function
Describe and provide a set-based method that takes a multiple character split term and returns as a table
What is the State of My Transparent Data Encrypted Database?
When using Transparent Data Encryption, you might wonder “What is the state of my transparent data encrypted database?” Read on to learn the many different states that a transparent data encrypted database might go through.
TEMPDB Enhancements in SQL Server 2016
TEMPDB Enhancements in SQL Server 2016 - By default enforced to follow best practices.
Blogs
Car Update September 2026
By Steve Jones
Software is hard. While I love our Lucid Gravity, I realize that they are...
Microsoft Tools for Making Data AI-Ready
By James Serra
Making Data AI-Ready, Part 2 (This is the second article in a three-part series...
Local Models Using GPUs with Ollama
By Steve Jones
Can you use your GPUs when running a local model under Ollama? You can,...
Forums
Moving Beyond the Reboot: Finding the Culprit Behind Memory Pressure
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Reserved Words I
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