Time Off

Finding a balance between work and life away from work is hard, but one good way is with periodic vacations. Today Steve Jones notes that some people don't take their vacation, which he sees as a problem.

New Drop If Exists Syntax in SQL Server 2016

When writing T-SQL code, we often write code to check if the database object exists first and then take some action. In this tip John Miner covers the new and easier way to do this in SQL Server 2016.

Byte Me: Data Wrangler

Temporal Data Part 3 – Reporting Out Current and Historical Information

With the introduction of temporal table support in SQL Server 2016 Microsoft also added some additional functionality that makes it easy for you to join the current and history records of a system-versioned table. Greg Larsen shows you some of the different ways to do analysis of your system-versioned records over time.

Avoiding Stored Procedures

This week Steve Jones argues against stored procedures. Is it a good argument or do want to stick with your stored procedures.

Calculating odds ratio with T-SQL and R

Simple steps towards understanding what is an Odds Ratio, and how do we arrive at it using TSQL and R scripts.

Formatting SQL Code - Part the Second

When you're formatting SQL Code, your objective is to make the code as easy to read with understanding as is possible, in a way that errors stand out. The extra time it takes to write code in an accessible way is far less than the time saved by the poor soul in the future, possibly yourself, when maintaining or enhancing the code. There isn't a single 'best practice, but the general principles, such as being consistent, are well-established. Joe Celko gives his take on a controversial topic.

Data Driven Subscription Workaround

A guide for getting around the missing data driven subscription feature in Standard editions of Microsoft SQL Server.

Separate Accounts

Security is a complex process, one that is becoming more and more important to DBAs all the time. This week Steve Jones wants to know how security is handled for your service accounts.

SQL Server docks in Linux

The Database Engine on the Data Platform departs for Linux. A late arrival but worthwhile, says Phil Factor.