How Long Before You Upgrade?
This Friday Steve Jones wants to know about the lifetime of your instances. Do you have some idea on how long you'll run a particular version of a platform?
Mixing MongoDB and Relational Databases in the Enterprise
Your Agile developers want MongoDB, or a similar document database: your Ops people are concerned about security and backup, and Governance are muttering about transactionality and data transfer between systems. Do you restrict your developers from rapidly-evolving the data design for their domain or do you embrace the joys of NoSQL unconditionally? If you accept a polyglot database environment, where the NoSQL lambs coexist with the relational lions, how do you provide tools and common database concepts that everyone can use and understand?
Change Integer to BigInt on a Very Large Table
This article will show how to change the data type of a column when the table contains more than 1 billion records.
Introverted vs Extroverted
A lot of us are introverted, so is there anything that can be done about it?
How to Do a SQL Server Architecture Review
How do you get management to help you figure out if a cluster or an AG is right for you? In this post, Brent Ozar explains the steps involved when doing a review of your SQL Server architecture.
Should We Move to Azure?
This week Steve Jones asks about moving to the cloud and how interesting that might be to the community?
SQL Server R Services: Working with Data Frames
Although you can get started with R in SQL Server without understanding data frames, they are a key structure of the R language that are the equivalent of SQL Server table variables. They give you many ways of manipulating and analyzing data and passing it between R and SQL Server. For a database professional, they provide a clear and familiar concept when getting to grips with integrating R into the database.
Protecting SQL Server Data
This book holds the key to "encryption without fear". In it, John Magnabosco sweeps away some of the misconceptions surrounding SQL Server's encryption technologies, and demonstrates that, when properly planned and implemented, they are an essential tool in the DBA's fight to safeguard sensitive data.
Software Patents
Patents are one way that governments can spur innovation. However many people think software patents should be eliminated. Steve Jones doesn't think so, but would like reform.
What are you worth?
When negotiating your salary, it helps to know what the ranges are for your experience and area. Steve Jones gives a little advice today.
Blogs
Redgate and Rome
By Steve Jones
I’m at the UK Redgate office today, meeting with senior leaders in all areas...
Quick Tip: Check Most DTU Expensive Queries in Azure SQL Database
Optimizing Azure SQL Database performance often begins with identifying the most resource-intensive queries. Understanding...
PowerShell Newbie – Variables
By gbargsley
This is Week 2 of PowerShell Strikes Back – a four-week May series for...
Forums
SSRS Is Dead. Here Are Your Real Options
Comments posted to this topic are about the item SSRS Is Dead. Here Are...
The Distance Metric
Comments posted to this topic are about the item The Distance Metric
The New Wave of Security Threats
Comments posted to this topic are about the item The New Wave of Security...
Question of the Day
The Distance Metric
In the new VECTOR_DISTANCE() function in SQL Server 2025, the first parameter is the distance_metric. What is this?
See possible answers