SAN and NAS protocols and how they impact SQL Server
Discusses the various SAN and NAS protocols (FC, iSCSI, NFS) and how choosing one over the other can impact your SQL Server Performance.
SQL Explained
A short explanation and infographic of what SQL is. For the non-SQL people in your life.
SQL Style Habits: Attack of the Skeuomorphs
Although we like to think that our programming techniques are progressive and in tune with the bleeding edge of software development practices, too often they are directly influenced by restrictions faced when computers first became mainstream in the post-war decades. In this article Joe Celko looks at the history of mainframes, FORTRAN I and COBOL.
Is It Worth Writing Unit Tests?
What's the overhead for writing unit tests? Ed Elliot breaks it down, looking at the ways in which unit tests both take more time and save time.
The Evolving DBA
The job of the DBA is constantly evolving, but one thing has always been critical: access to data.
Free webinar: Embracing DLM – The Definitive Guide
Database Lifecycle Management (DLM) is about enabling rapid, risk-free database development and deployments. However, the most effective DLM processes actually reach beyond the database. Embracing the full scope of it can be daunting, so Grant Fritchey and Matthew Skelton are making it manageable.
Large SQL Server Database Backup on an Azure VM and Archiving
For a large SQL Server database on an Azure VM, backing up the data can have some challenges. In this article, Murshed Zaman focuses on the two most common challenges: size and speed.
Stairway to MDX - Level 12: : MDX Time/Date Series Functions: OpeningPeriod() and ClosingPeriod() Functions
BI Architect Bill Pearson continues with the second of a set of articles surrounding a group of MDX functions specialized to support the analysis of data within the context of time / date. In this article, we will explore the OpeningPeriod() and ClosingPeriod() functions, and get hands-on practice with each in meeting sample business requirements.
Azure Event Hubs
If you need to receive and process a large volume of of packets of data, such as telemetry, or event-log items, it may be worth considering Azure Event hubs. They aren't like traditional messaging but represent more of a stripped down one-way event processing system for large volumes of data. It could represent a good solution to an ever-present problem, but is it ready for production use? Rob Sheldon investigates.
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
Comments posted to this topic are about the item The Quiet Part
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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