Policy-Based Management, a feature of SQL Server, is a flexible tool that can help DBAs manage one or more SQL Server instances. It's used for monitoring and enforcing a standard set of policies for SQL Server throughout an organization. While there are many built-in conditions from which to choose, Dennes demonstrates how to set up a custom policy as well as a standard one. Viewing the policy status over many servers can be tedious, so he also explains how DBAs can evaluate the states of multiple servers with just one glance.

Delayed gratification or not?

by Ben Kubicek

SQLServerCentral.com

Editorial

There is a temptation to have things now when we should really wait.

Sharing Data

by Steve Jones

SQLServerCentral.com

Editorial

This week Steve discusses the security aspects of sharing data.

Azure SQL Database Virtual Network Service Endpoints and Rules

by Additional Articles

Database Journal

Azure SQL database

One of the most commonly requested Azure SQL Database features has been support for more granular control of server-level firewall settings. A recently announced public preview of Azure SQL Database and Data Warehouse VNET service endpoints and rules promises to address this limitation.

Bones of SQL – Grouping By User-Defined Calendar Periods

by Bob Hovious

SQLServerCentral.com

Although it is common to group by periods such as Week, Month, or Quarter, sometimes alternative periods are needed. This simple technique lets you split a year into periods with any number of days.

How Much Data Has Changed Since Your Last Full Backup

by Additional Articles

Database Journal

SQL Server 2017

Have you ever wanted to know how many pages in your database have changed since the last full backup? If so, then you will be glad to hear that the SQL Server 2017 version of the DMV, sys.dm_db_file_spavce_usage, has a new column named modified_extent_page_count, which shows the number of pages that have changed since the last full backup.

How to store Excel files In SQL Table

by Nisarg Upadhyay

SQLServerCentral.com

OPENROWSET

This article will show how to store images, document and all other files in SQL Table.

SQL Server Internals: In-Memory OLTP

by Kalen Delaney

SQLServerCentral.com

books

In this book, Kalen Delaney explains how the 2016 In-Memory OLTP engine works, how it stores and manipulates data, and how, even with all data stored in memory and no locking or latching, it can still guarantee the ACID properties of all transactions.

The Relational Database is the Default

by Steve Jones

SQLServerCentral.com

Editorial

If you don't have a good reason not to, use a relational database. Always.

SQL Server R Services: Working with Multiple Data Sets

by Additional Articles

SimpleTalk

SQL Server R Services

Although it is easy to use SQL Server R Services to create R scripts that incorporate SQL Server data by passing in a T-SQL query as an argument when calling the sp_execute_external_script stored procedure, you are limited to that one query, unless you pass additional data directly between R and SQL Server via CSV files. It is simple to do, and opens up many additional opportunities for data analysis. Robert Sheldon explains how.

Checking SQL Server with Policy-Based Management

Delayed gratification or not?

Sharing Data

Azure SQL Database Virtual Network Service Endpoints and Rules

Bones of SQL – Grouping By User-Defined Calendar Periods

How Much Data Has Changed Since Your Last Full Backup

How to store Excel files In SQL Table

SQL Server Internals: In-Memory OLTP

The Relational Database is the Default

SQL Server R Services: Working with Multiple Data Sets

Blogs

Questions and Answers from Running a Local LLM

Overview of Claude AI Models: Which One to Choose?

Houston AI-Lytics 2026–Powerpoint Slides

Forums

A question about how to store the address in the database

SSIS package failing intermittently on last Excel Component

T-SQL in SQL Server 2025: JSON_ARRAYAGG

Question of the Day

Multiple Sequence Values