Erik Darling wonders why SQL Server doesn't have more granular parallelism options.

Fixing Plan Issues in the Middle of the Night

by Jovan Popovic

SQLServerCentral.com

Query Data Store (QDS)

Do you hate when someone wakes you up in the middle of the night and tells you that some query is slower and you need to investigate it? With SQL Server 2017 you might easily do this, or even let SQL Server do this job for you.

How to Automatically Create and Refresh Development and Test Databases

by Additional Articles

SimpleTalk

database delivery

In order to be able to deliver database changes more quickly, there are several tasks that must be automated. It can be a daunting job to ensure that the whole team has the latest database build when there is a proliferation of copies, and the database is big. Phil illustrates a solution by taking a set of Redgate tools to show how they can be used together, via PowerShell, to build a database from object-level source, stock it with data, document it, and then provision any number of test and development servers with the database build, taking care to save any DDL changes to the existing copies of the database.

The Tethered Goat

by Phil Factor

SQLServerCentral.com

Editorial

Phil Factor's a 'tethered goat' database taught in the value of database intrusion detection and of "defense in depth".

Using Super Keys to Enforce Database Constraints

by Dejan Mladenovic

SQLServerCentral.com

Database Design

Example of Using Super Keys to Enforce Database Constraints, instead of procedural code

SQL Server Management Studio Recovery, Reporting, Key Combinations and Efficiency Tips

by Additional Articles

MSSQLTips.com

Management Studio (SSMS)

Serget Gigoyan is back with another set of 5 common SSMS tips.

Dynamic Pivot, Passing Temp Table Variables to Dynamic SQL

by Jambu Krishnamurthy

SQLServerCentral.com

Dynamic SQL

This example demonstrates how to perform a pivot using dynamic headers based on the row values of a table. The article also shows how to pass a temp table variable to a Dynamic SQL call.

Developing Metadata Design Patterns in BIML

by Additional Articles

SimpleTalk

BIML

You may have already experienced ETL Hell, where you have a large number of similar of SSIS tasks, and a small change, such as an alteration to the network topology, means that they all need to be altered with the correct connection details. Perhaps you should consider creating design patterns for all the standard components of integration tasks in BIML, and generating the SSIS packages from these? Amarendra walks you through the process.