Checking Table Metadata with tSQLt
In this article on tSQLt, learn how you can use the AssertResultSetsHaveSameMetaData method from the framework to enforce your API.
Practical Hekaton
Steve Jones is searching for anyone that is using In-Memory OLTP tables in production.
Converting Rows to Columns (PIVOT) and Columns to Rows (UNPIVOT) in SQL Server
Learn how to convert row values into column values (PIVOT) and column values into row values (UNPIVOT) in SQL Server.
Reusing T-SQL Code
Alex Kuznetsov, in an article taken from his book 'Defensive Database Programming with SQL Server', shows how DRY principles can be put in practice with constraints, stored procedures, triggers, UDFs and indexes.
Archive Every Day
There are challenges with the large scale archiving of data. Steve Jones talks about rethinking this as a daily process rather than a periodic one.
Protecting Yourself from SQL Injection in SQL Server - Part 2
Aaron Bertrand has some advice on how to protect yourself from SQL Injection, looking at some specific common scenarios.
SQL Monitor Custom Metric: WriteLog wait time
This metric shows Writelog wait time in ms, per elapsed second. Writelog wait types occur when the log cache is being flushed to disk. If this happens all the time, it may suggest disk bottlenecks where the transaction log is stored.
When Should We Be Cleaning Data?
Part of our job as a data professional often deals with the movement and cleaning of data. However, should we be trying to reduce the work we do? Move the burden to the application? Steve Jones has a few comments.
How to Get SQL Server Dates and Times Horribly Wrong
One of the times that you need things to go right is when you are doing analysis and reporting. This is generally based on time and date. A sure-fire way of getting managers upset is to get the figures horribly wrong by messing up the way that you handle datetime values in SQL Server. In the interests of peace, harmony and a long career in BI, Robert Sheldon outlines some of the worst mistakes you can make when using SQL Server dates.
Blogs
Advice I Like: Pyramid Schemes
By Steve Jones
If someone is trying to convince you it’s not a pyramid scheme, it’s a...
Using Prompt AI for a Travel Data Analysis
By Steve Jones
I was looking back at my year and decided to see if SQL Prompt...
FinOps for Kubernetes: Leveraging OpenCost, KubeGreen, and Kubecost for Cost Efficiency
In the era of cloud-native applications, Kubernetes has become the default standard platform for...
Forums
Database file shrink issue.
Hi experts, I have a 3+ TB database on a 2019 sql server which...
The North Star for the Year
Comments posted to this topic are about the item The North Star for the...
Multiple Escape Characters
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Multiple Escape Characters
Question of the Day
Multiple Escape Characters
In SQL Server 2025, I run this code (in a database with the appropriate collation):
SELECT UNISTR('%*3041%*308A%*304C%*3068 and good night', '%*') AS 'A Classic';
What is returned? See possible answers