SMKs, DMKs, Certificates for TDE and Encrypted Backups
This article details SMKs, DMKs and certificates in SQL Server as they relate to Transparent Data Encryption and Encrypted Backups.
Custom Built Statistics
Dan Holmes shows how you can create statistics exactly the way you want within the bounds of the 200 steps available.
Automated Rapid Recovery during Database Code Releases using Snapshots
Leveraging snapshots across multiple databases simultaneously to allow for quick rollback in case of a problem deploying code
Building Better Communication Skills
Today Steve Jones reminds us that our communication skills are important. They are something that we use constantly at work and are worth developing.
De-normalize database schema using JSON
Jovan Popovic talks about transforming complex relational structures into simpler tables using JSON format.
IT Data Governance and the Insider Job
Good IT data governance is about crime-prevention as well as crime-detection. Legal action runs war a close second as being one of the more futile and debilitating of human activities, so prevention is always better.
The Office
Would you be more productive outside of an office? Would you take a pay cut to work outside of an office? Steve Jones notes that a number of IT professionals said they would.
The SQL of the Feast Days of Western Christendom
Phil Factor's newest SQL expression calculates when all the feasts and saints days are, giving you plenty of potential causes for celebration.
Copy a database between servers with one command
This tool is a helper for your daily work to copy easily databases between Servers/instances and do all the necessary stuff for you.
Blogs
PlanTrace: Stop Reading Redshift EXPLAIN Plans. Start Seeing Them
PlanTrace: Stop Reading Redshift EXPLAIN Plans. Start Seeing Them Introducing PlanTrace — a free, browser-based...
A Cloud Dependency Failure from Amazon
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I went to sleep while reading a Kindle book on my phone. I know...
Deploying AI in logistics (the unfiltered version)
A conversation with Jan Laš, CIO at HOPI, about what deploying a data agent...
Forums
SPAM Issues May 2026
We suffered a SPAM attack from May 1-6, which unfortunately corresponded with time off...
SQL Password enforcing
Hi to all We have situation at a client where someone is illegally changing...
SQL Password enforcing
Hi to all We have situation at a client where someone is illegally changing...
Question of the Day
Creating a JSON Document III
I have this data in a table called dbo.NFLTeams
TeamID TeamName City YearEstablished ------ -------- ---- --------------- 1 Cowboys Dallas 1960 2 Eagles Philadelphia 1933 3 Packers Green Bay 1919 4 Chiefs Kansas City 1960 5 49ers San Francisco 1946 6 Broncos Denver 1960 7 Seahawks Seattle 1976 8 Patriots New England 1960If I run this code, how many rows are returned?
SELECT TOP 2
json_objectagg('Team' : TeamName)
FROM dbo.NFLTeams;
See possible answers