DDL Auditing using the Default trace
This article explains how default trace can be used for auditing purposes when combined with PowerShell scripts
Time Slots - An Essential Extension to Calendar Tables
After answering many forum entries from developers asking for help with dealing with SQL that involved time intervals and ranges, Dwain dreamed of a generalized tool that sets up time slots of various sorts without the need to experiment; that could do the heavy lifting, so that developers could do aggregations and reports based on time intervals without the hard graft. Here is Dwain's dream made reality.
Complete Definitions
When we write scripts, we often assume many settings will be at some default value. When we generate scripts, that's not the case. Perhaps we should be sure that we always include the settings we expect.
How to FTP a Dynamically Named Flat File
Learn how you can dynamically name a file in SSIS and then send it using the FTP task.
MongoDB vs. Azure DocumentDB
There’s a new kid on the block in the NoSQL world – Azure DocumentDB. Released in preview back in August 2014 and going Generally Available this month, Azure DocumentDB is Microsoft’s initial foray into the increasingly competitive space of non-relational database management systems. Of course there is no better competitor in this space to measure up against than MongoDB. How close does DocumentDB stack up to MongoDB? Are they even close?
Finding Problem Code
This week Steve Jones has a poll on performance tuning code. Since many people aren't experts, the answers this week might help them learn where to focus their efforts.
The new Analytic functions in SQL Server 2012
SQL Server expert Wayne Sheffield looks into the new T-SQL analytic functions coming in SQL Server 2012.
Automated database deployment workshops
Redgate is offering a 1-day public workshop for anyone who’s interested in automated deployments for SQL Server databases. In the hands-on exercises, you’ll learn how to deploy with PowerShell and Octopus Deploy, work with NuGet packages, handle unexpected changes in your production database (database drift), test your changes with dry run releases, add review and rollback steps, check your deployments have worked, and how to fix things if your deployment fails. Find a workshop near you.
CONCAT and STUFF Functions in SQL Server 2012
The difference between the CONCAT function and the STUFF function lies in the fact that CONCAT allows you to append a string value at the end of another string value whereas STUFF allows you insert or replace a string value into or in between another string value. Read on to learn more about these functions and their real life usage.
Blogs
Rethinking Index Maintenance: Why avg_fragmentation_in_percent Is Outdated and What You Should Do Instead
By Tim Radney
As a SQL Server DBA with years of experience tuning production environments, I’ve seen...
Microsoft Build 2026 announcements
By James Serra
Once again there were a number of Microsoft Build announcements related to data and...
T-SQL Tuesday #199: Roundup
A good week ago I hosted the monthly T-SQL Tuesday blog party. I invited...
Forums
Changes, Happiness, and a Few Tears
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Changes, Happiness, and a Few...
BCP on Linux
Comments posted to this topic are about the item BCP on Linux
You Probably Don't Need a Vector Database
Comments posted to this topic are about the item You Probably Don't Need a...
Question of the Day
BCP on Linux
When running bcp on Linux, what is the field terminator?
See possible answers