External Article

Performing Azure SQL Database Management Tasks by Using PowerShell with REST API

Recently, we have been exploring the ability to administer Azure SQL Database by leveraging REST APIs invoked from PowerShell-based scripts. Such an approach offers more flexibility, facilitating functionality that is not directly exposed in the PowerShell cmdlets. In this article Marcin Policht shows the benefits when dealing directly with Azure SQL Databases.

External Article

Database Deployment Problems Survey

Red Gate is looking to build tools and features to help reduce the risk of database deployment. In order to achieve this, we need to get a better understanding of the most common deployment problems you are encountering when moving changes from development to production. Please help by filling in our two-page survey.

External Article

SQL Monitor Custom Metric: Buffer Pressure

Trying to determine if you have pressure in your buffer allocations can be difficult. This metric reliably indicates if you have a buffer problem using the memory dump from DBCC MEMORYSTATUS() and comparing Target Committed to the Current Committed allocations. If you hit negative numbers you are looking at a buffer issue.

Blogs

Narrow Task Decomposition in AI Pipeline Agents

By

A nightly load into sales_fact fails. Ask an orchestrating agent to break down the...

Car Update: August 2026

By

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

An architecture scenario Imagine separate Sales, Finance, Shared Data, and Executive Analytics workspaces. Sales...

Read the latest Blogs

Forums

Managing Incidents and Fighting Fires

By Pat Wright

Comments posted to this topic are about the item Managing Incidents and Fighting Fires

Backing Up a DMK

By Steve Jones - SSC Editor

Comments posted to this topic are about the item Backing Up a DMK

The Quiet Part

By Steve Jones - SSC Editor

Comments posted to this topic are about the item The Quiet Part

Visit the forum

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?

See possible answers