Questioning the Interviewer
Asking questions in an interview is important, but there can be issues. Steve Jones talks a little about how to approach this.
Managing SQL Server Backup and Restore History Information
Greg Larson explains that SQL Server provides a couple of different ways to delete backup and restore history. If you want to remove backup and restore information for all databases based on a date you can use the sp_delete_backuphistory system stored procedure. Or you can use the system stored procedure named sp_delete_database_backuphistory if you want to remove all backup and restore history for a specific database.
Coming Attacks
What happens if we can't access the Internet? We should be prepared, at home and work. Steve Jones has a few comments.
Constant Data Types
Data types are an important part of how tables and variables work. Did you know that constants have databases too?
Intelligence from Data
This week Steve Jones looks at the idea of using AI and machine learning with your data to develop amazing new insight.
Predicates With Subqueries
The ALL, SOME and ANY predicates aren't much used in SQL Server, but they are there. You can use the Exists() predicate instead but the logic is more contorted and difficult to read at a glance. Set-oriented predicates can greatly simplify the answering of many real-life business questions, so it is worth getting familiar with them. Joe Celko explains.
The Exciting World of Data
Steve Jones gave a keynote, and has a little fun this week with the topic of his talk.
SQL Server for Linux
Although SQL Server for Linux removes the concern that adopting SQL Server forces you to also adopt the Windows platform, it could also provide a useful alternative platform, and a more obvious alternative to Oracle. There are, however, several obvious concerns as to how such a product could ever achieve parity with the existing Windows-based product. Microsoft have made an interesting move with several ramifications, as Robert Sheldon explains.
Masking Your Data with SQL Server 2016
There are times when you want some users to see part of a column value but not the whole thing, but you want other users to see the complete column value without any masking. The new SQL Server 2016 Dynamic Data Masking feature will allow you to define these different kinds of masking rules - Greg Larson explains.
Blogs
Git forked
Forgive me for the title. Mentally I’m 12. When I started my current day...
Setting FK Constraints in Data Modeler
By Steve Jones
One of the things a customer asked recently about Redgate Data Modeler was how...
Webinar: Navigating the Database Landscape in 2026
By Steve Jones
For a number of years, we’ve produced the State of the Database Landscape report,...
Forums
SSMS 22 Latest Update Crashing
Hi all, I've just had to roll back my SSMS 22 version from 22.3.0,...
Transactional Replication setup issue
Hi! I've been banging my head against the wall for 2 days now trying...
The Power of Data and Privacy
Comments posted to this topic are about the item The Power of Data and...
Question of the Day
What's the Date?
In SQL Server 2025, there is a new function that returns the current date without the time. What is it?
See possible answers