Masking Data
As DBAs we go to great lengths to ensure the security of our production data. But what happens when it moves off of a production server?
SQL Prompt Tips #3 - Snippet Placeholder $Paste$
Another quick tip for SQL Prompt, using the snippets to increase your productivity.
Using Power BI in a Hybrid Environment
This paper describes best practices for security, networking, and component architecture for building a hybrid business intelligence (BI) environment by using a combination of Microsoft Office 365, Microsoft Azure, and on-premises data sources. Many organizations are taking advantage of the benefits of cloud computing such as lower capital expenditures and increased agility, while still maintaining data in on-premises data stores.
From Great Idea to End Result
IT is too slow. That was a quote that inspired this piece from Steve Jones that talks about the need for IT to be more flexible and agile in their efforts. That includes the data professional in their modeling.
Simple Mathematical Formulas using the M Language
The Power BI desktop designer is a great tool; however, the hardest part of any Business Intelligence project is gathering and formatting the data into reportable datasets. John Miner explains how having a deeper understanding of the M language will help a BI developer in cases where the menus can not.
SQL Safety Nets
Today we have a guest editorial from Andy Warren. Andy talks about the things that help us out when we forget to handle some aspect of server administration. These safety nets can be handy, but should they be there? Should we have more of them? Join the discussion.
The Hot Jobs
This week Steve looks at the hot jobs that are going to have pay increases in the coming year.
The Complete Guide to PowerShell Punctuation
It is the punctuation, the strange dollar signs, brackets and parentheses that bewilder anyone learning PowerShell. Add to that the aliases and you can bewilder everyone. The punctuation is essential, so here is the the complete PowerShell wallchart and guide to Powershell Punctuation. Thanks to Michael Sorens, PowerShell need no longer be perplexing.
A Simple Formula to Calculate the ISO Week Number
He admits it wasn't his idea but his head sure wishes it was. SQL Server MVP Jeff Moden explains a wonderful, super simple, very high performance formula that will calculate ISO Week Numbers. If you're "stuck" with SQL Server 2005 or less, you're going to like this a whole lot!
Positive or Negative
Today Steve Jones wonders if the way you choose to design a database says something about you.
Blogs
Narrow Task Decomposition in AI Pipeline Agents
A nightly load into sales_fact fails. Ask an orchestrating agent to break down the...
Car Update: August 2026
By Steve Jones
It’s been some time since I provided a car update, so I decided to...
Microsoft Fabric OneLake Shortcuts: When to Use Them and When Not To
By James Serra
An architecture scenario Imagine separate Sales, Finance, Shared Data, and Executive Analytics workspaces. Sales...
Forums
Managing Incidents and Fighting Fires
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Backing Up a DMK
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Backing Up a DMK
The Quiet Part
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Question of the Day
Backing Up a DMK
In SQL Server 2025, I have a database with a Database Masker Key (DMK). I want to back up this key and keep a copy offline. When do I have to open this key before running the backup?
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