A Buggy Release
Releasing software is stressful, and as Steve Jones notes today, can cause bankruptcy if you don't have a solid process.
Azure SQL Limitations compared with a SQL Server Enterprise
In this article, we will compare a traditional SQL Server Enterprise Edition with an Azure SQL Database and see the differences.
Redgate’s 2016 Roadmap
What do you get for your Support & Upgrades package? Read this blog post to learn about the new functionality and improvements Redgate is releasing this year. Find out more.
What's "Actually" going on with that Seek?
Rob Farley digs deeper into seeks and actual rows read, demonstrating a case where you want a non-sargable expression in the WHERE clause.
Where's the Unit Testing?
Today Steve Jones wonders why we don't unit test more, especially for databases.
The IT Manager's perspective: People as an Asset
Information Technology is fast-changing, but the people who work in IT need to have a good chance of a long-term career. That means keeping up to date, not only in their current speciality, but in the wider sphere of the technology they work with. IT managers must make sure that keeping up to date with technology is part of the day to day activity of their people. How should they make sure it happens?
How do you know when it is time to leave a job?
Today we have a guest editorial from Ben Kubicek as Steve is traveling out of town. I discovered I had stayed at a job about two years too long. Why was that?
Stairway to T-SQL: Beyond The Basics Level 4: Using Views to Simplify Your Query
This level discusses how to use a database VIEW to simplify your Transact-SQL(T-SQL) code. By understanding how to use a VIEW you will be able to better support writing T-SQL code to meet complex business requirements. In this article I will be discussing what a database VIEW is and then providing a number of examples to help you understand how you can use a VIEW to implement different coding scenarios.
PowerShell Desired State Configuration: Automating and Monitoring Pull mode
The Pull mode of Desired State Configuration (DSC) is more complicated to implement because you need to meticulously manage the MOF files and their naming conventions so as to ensure that you deploy your DSC configurations correctly. In this first article of a two-part series, Nicolas Prigent describes how you can best automate this, and then in a second part on monitoring DSC he describes techniques to help you to use the pull mode as a regular part of your admin work.
Blogs
The SUM of Nothing: #SQLNewBlogger
By Steve Jones
I caught this interesting item over on Pinal Dave’s blog: Eleven Interview Questions that...
How to Move the SSMS Status Bar to the Top and Color-Code SQL Server Connections
By Hemantgiri
I use color-coded connections in SSMS to distinguish Production, Pre-Production, UAT, and Development. But...
Forums
Building a SQL Server Fleet Audit That Leadership Actually Reads
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Building a SQL Server Fleet...
Smart AI Agents and Data Security
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Smart AI Agents and Data...
RegEx Functions IV
Comments posted to this topic are about the item RegEx Functions IV
Question of the Day
RegEx Functions IV
I have this data in a table in a SQL Server 2025 database:
EmailAddressID EmailAddress 7 dylan0@ADVENTURE-WORKS.COM 8 Diane1@ADVENTURE-WORKS.COMIf I run this query, which row(s) are returned?
SELECT top 10 * FROM person.EmailAddress WHERE REGEXP_LIKE(EmailAddress, '^D', 'i') AND BusinessEntityID IN (7,8)See possible answers