Searching for Plans
Would you want a query optimizer that searches for the best plan for your code? Steve Jones thinks this might not be a bad idea.
Automated Database Deployment Workshop: Belfast, Northern Ireland
Redgate's DLM Workshops are coming to Belfast, NI on June 26, 2015. Learn how to: deploy databases using Redgate's DLM tools, assess the different requirements of production and non-production deployments, and handle database administration tasks, such as backups and security, for automated deployment. Register while space is available.
Automating Day-to-Day PowerShell Admin Tasks - Jobs and Workflow
If you are aiming to optimise the use of your time by doing as much as possible via scripting, you will soon want to run scripts in parallel to save time. PowerShell does not demand that you run jobs one after the other; It has the means to launch actions whenever you wish and to obtain the results when you want them.
SQL Saturday #379 - South Florida
Join us for a free day of SQL Server training and networking in Davie, Florida on June 13, 2015. Admittance to this event is free, so register while space is available.
T-SQL Programming Part 14 - Using the TOP Clause with UPDATE, INSERT and DELETE Statements
Learn how to use the TOP clause in conjunction with the UPDATE, INSERT and DELETE statements.
How to Get SQL Server Security Horribly Wrong
It is no good doing some or most of the aspects of SQL Server security right. You have to get them all right, because any effective penetration of your security is likely to spell disaster. If you fail in any of the ways that Robert Sheldon lists and describes, then you can't assume that your data is secure, and things are likely to go horribly wrong.
Opening Up Data
Tim O'Reilly, head of O'Reilly publishing, has been an advocate of better date movement in the world. Steve Jones has a few comments on an interview he gave earlier this year.
The Case for Scalar-valued, User-defined Functions in T-SQL
Did you know that scalar-valued, user-defined functions can be used in DEFAULT/CHECK CONSTRAINTs and computed columns? Learn about it...
How do you work with databases?
How do you use SQL Server, and how do you expect this to change next year? Fill in Redgate's survey by May 15 and enter a prize draw to win one of 4 $50 Amazon vouchers.
Blogs
Shifting Mindsets: Why FinOps is Essential for Cloud Efficiency
By HeyMo0sh
As a DevOps practitioner, I’ve always focused on performance, scalability, and automation. But as...
March 2026 SQL Server Security Updates
By Brian Kelley
On Patch Tuesday, in addition to OS and Office security patches, Microsoft also released...
How Fabric Mirroring Transformed with SQL Server 2025
When mirroring was first released for Azure SQL Database, it used Change Data Capture...
Forums
Multiple Deployment Processes
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Multiple Deployment Processes
How to Use sqlpackage to Detect Schema Drift Between Azure SQL Databases
Comments posted to this topic are about the item How to Use sqlpackage to...
Upgrading Admin Queries
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Upgrading Admin Queries
Question of the Day
Upgrading Admin Queries
I have a query from a former DBA that we run on SQL Server 2025 to check on database metadata. This query references sys.sysaltfiles. I want to refactor this code to be more modern. Which DMV should I reference instead?
See possible answers