How to style your SQL using SQL Prompt’s new formatting options
Prefer tabs but your teammates use spaces? That's not a problem with the brand new formatting options in SQL Prompt. It's now possible to customize, save, and share multiple styles that you can then quickly switch between when working. Here's how it works, and how to get set up.
SQL Server Temporary Object Caching
Paul White describes temporary object caching in SQL Server – what it is, why it exists, and how to use it to your advantage.
Practical usage of SQLCLR: Building QueryToHtml function
This article shows a few techniques with SQLCLR to to transform a query result into HTML.
Wanna Cry? Me too
I don’t doubt for a minute that on a certain level you’re sick to death of people talking about the Wanna Cry ransomware. However, bear with me, we need to go through it just a little more because it actually has some bearing on us as data professionals. OK, more than some bearing, it’s a […]
Where is my SQL Server Configuration Manager?
If you are running Windows 8 and above, you might have found out that you can’t find SQL Server Configuration Manager in the list of installed applications. Read on to learn how to locate it.
Presentations that are Easy on the Eyes
Today Steve Jones talks presentations, specifically the best way to share information on a projector.
Why Scalar Functions Can Be Costly
Scalar user defined functions can be costly in more ways than you know. Watch Mickey Stuewe show the hidden costs of using them incorrectly.
Free ebook: Stairway to SQL Server XML
Free download to all Simple Talk users. XML has been part of the SQL Standard since 2003, and is essential for any DBA because so many of the dynamic management views return XML data. Now that the industry is more used to data defined by document markup, it is becoming more important than ever for Database Developers and DBAs to understand the technology and to know where it makes sense to use XML.
Blogs
Presenting with Visual Studio Code
A while back I wrote a quick post on setting up key mappings in...
Advice I Like: In 100 Years
By Steve Jones
In 100 years a lot of what we take to be true now will...
dataMinds Saturday 2026 – Slides
At Saturday the 21st of February I’m presenting an introduction to dimensional modelling at...
Forums
AllocationType as ROW_OVERFLOW_DATA
Hello, I inherited a number of tables with like 20-30 column using nvarchar(256) in...
is it true we cant debug c# scripts in ssis anymore under vs
Hi, i'm running vs2022. I'm trying out a c# script that i'd like to...
Question of the Day
Missing the Jaro Winkler Distance
I upgraded a SQL Server 2019 instance to SQL Server 2025. I wanted to test the fuzzy string search functions. I run this code:
SELECT JARO_WINKLER_DISTANCE('tim', 'tom')
I get this error message:Msg 195, Level 15, State 10, Line 1 'JARO_WINKLER_DISTANCE' is not a recognized built-in function name.What is wrong? See possible answers