Time for Learning
How do you find time for learning? More importantly, Steve Jones asks if you find time for actual use of your knowledge.
Finding Encrypted Data in a SQL Server Database
The easiest way to determine if there is encrypted data in a database is to get that information from whoever wrote the application. Aside from that, there are a few things you can look for which would suggest that you have encrypted data in a given database.
Which Problem Are You Solving?
This week Steve Jones talks a bit about problem solving and how you should approach the issue.
Discrete and Continuous Data in SQL
Not all data is discrete; some data types represent a continuum. In SQL, we have to approximate them and live with the special problems of handling continuous data. We need to understand the problems associated with continuous data types, when these will happen, and how it affects constraints and the results of queries. Joe Celko explains.
Going to Extremes to Release Bug Fixes and New Features
Extreme Programming (XP) is no general panacea; but for the right team, and for a product that needs to release bug fixes and new features as fast as possible, its benefits are obvious. Working on one of Red Gate's most popular tools, SQL Prompt, Aaron Law and David Priddle use XP. But is their adherence to XP a personal preference or does it bring real benefits?
Webinar: Oracle Exadata & In-Memory Real-World Performance
On January 28th 3PM GMT, Randolf Geist will present a free, one-hour webinar analyzing different database query profiles based on a real-world customer case. He'll also look at how these different profiles influence the efficiency of Exadata's features and the new Oracle In-Memory column store option. Register now.
Getting IT Out of the Data Center
Technology shouldn't just be a cost sink in an organization, at least that's what Steve Jones thinks.
Blogs
A Cloud Dependency Failure from Amazon
By Steve Jones
I went to sleep while reading a Kindle book on my phone. I know...
Deploying AI in logistics (the unfiltered version)
A conversation with Jan Laš, CIO at HOPI, about what deploying a data agent...
T-SQL Tuesday #198 Invitation: How Do You Detect Data Changes?
It's time for T-SQL Tuesday #198! This month's topic is change detection. The post T-SQL...
Forums
SPAM Issues May 2026
We suffered a SPAM attack from May 1-6, which unfortunately corresponded with time off...
SQL Password enforcing
Hi to all We have situation at a client where someone is illegally changing...
SQL Password enforcing
Hi to all We have situation at a client where someone is illegally changing...
Question of the Day
Creating a JSON Document III
I have this data in a table called dbo.NFLTeams
TeamID TeamName City YearEstablished ------ -------- ---- --------------- 1 Cowboys Dallas 1960 2 Eagles Philadelphia 1933 3 Packers Green Bay 1919 4 Chiefs Kansas City 1960 5 49ers San Francisco 1946 6 Broncos Denver 1960 7 Seahawks Seattle 1976 8 Patriots New England 1960If I run this code, how many rows are returned?
SELECT TOP 2
json_objectagg('Team' : TeamName)
FROM dbo.NFLTeams;
See possible answers