Voting for Change
Microsoft changed some things in SQL Server 2017 in response to community requests. Steve Jones is asking for more.
SQL Server R Services: Digging into the R Language
It is not just the analytic power of R that you get from using SQL Server R Services, but also the great range of packages that can be run in R that provide a daunting range of graphing and plotting facilities. Robert Sheldon shows how you can take data held in SQL Server and, via SQL Server R Services, use an R package called ggPlot that offers a powerful graphics language for creating elegant and complex plots.
sp_AllNightLog: Creating Jobs Like I’m The President
Erik Darling explains why sp_AllNightLog creates so many jobs by default.
A Backup Change
Steve Jones talks about backup of data today and the challenges of managing this at scale.
Protecting SQL Server from Ransomware
The problem of ransomware seems to be increasing. Major organizations are being hit and their servers are being affected. K. Brian Kelley explains some of the basic things you can do to reduce your expose to ransomeware.
The Randomness of Analog
A look back at the random nature of finding information in libraries and bookstores. A feeling Steve Jones misses.
SQL Data Aggregation Aggravation
When we have to deal with and store a lot of data, it makes sense to aggregate it so that we store only the information we actually need. If we get this right, this works well, but the design of the system takes care and thought because the problems can be subtle and various. Joe Celko describes some of the ways that things can go wrong and end up providing incorrect, inaccurate or misleading results.
The struggle to renormalize data
You are given an export of a NoSQL database, in JSON, and asked to import it into a relational database. Sounds easy? It isn't and Phil Factor explain why.
Blogs
Moving On-Prem PostgreSQL to the Cloud: Picking the Right Path for Big Tables
Every PostgreSQL migration eventually hits the same fork in the road. The database is...
A Spread of Vacation
By Steve Jones
I’m off on vacation today. Which is a little weird as I just got...
How AgentDBA Identifies Backup Failures
By Arun Sirpal
Every DBA has a box like this. Sitting untouched for months. Nobody’s proud of...
Forums
Have you done a Mid year check in?
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Have you done a Mid...
From SQL Server On-Premises to Claude Desktop: How I built a Full MCP Pipeline
Comments posted to this topic are about the item From SQL Server On-Premises to...
Independence Day 2026
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Independence Day 2026
Question of the Day
Independence Day 2026
In the original Independence Day movie (1996), what type of computer did Jeff Goldblum use to connect to the alien mainframe? Take a guess, don't look it up or ask AI.
See possible answers