The Art of Performance
Tuning a SQL Server instance and improving the way it performs is a complex task that many people struggle to complete. In this piece, Steve Jones talks about the idea that it is a science as much as an art.
Agile Database Development
Agile methodologies work well with database developments only if great care is taken to do things right. It requires good judgement and leaves little room for error. Dev Nambi, in an extract from the book Tribal SQL, argues that Agile works for smart, curious, and experienced software engineers.
Cleveland, OH - SQL in the City Seminar - Deployment Stairway
Grant Fritchey and Steve Jones will be hosting a free seminar in Cleveland on February 7 2014. Join fellow database professionals to learn tips and best practices for SQL Server version control, continuous integration and deployment.
Fuzzy-String Search: Find misspelled information with T-SQL
An optimized Damerau-Levenshtein Distance (DLD) algorithm for "fuzzy" string matching in Transact-SQL 2000-2008
The Desktop Setup
This Friday Steve Jones asks about how you set up your hardware and software environment for work. Are there things you recommend?
Stop & Start Your VM’s on Azure with Powershell
This is a very simple script can be used as a framework for you to stop and start your VM’s on Azure with Powershell.
Sabbatical
Steve Jones is taking a sabbatical this year and has a few thoughts on what this means for his career.
An Introduction to Windows Azure Table Storage
Windows Azure Tables are intended for the storage of large amounts of schemaless data. Tables are just containers of rows of data. Mike Wood describes the practicalities of getting started with using the system.
Relational database or graph database? Why not have both?
SQL Server may not be the best solution for every problem, but we have the means to extend its capabilities by linking it to external resources; in this case, using SQLCLR to query a graph database.
The Holiday Challenge
The holiday time period isn't always a fun time for IT pros who can get stuck working more than usual. Steve Jones talks about some of the experiences he's had.
Blogs
A New Word: Dolorblindness
By Steve Jones
dolorblindness – n. the frustration that you’ll never be able to understand another person’s...
Claude Code Helps Analyze Test Data Manager Log Files
By Steve Jones
I had a customer ask about analyzing their Test Data Manager (TDM) usage to...
PowerPoint to HTML with Claude AI
By Steve Jones
I had an idea for an animated view of a sales tool, and started...
Forums
Optimism Without Illusion or Why AI Needs Blunt Technologists
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Optimism Without Illusion or Why...
SSIS with VS2022 64/32 issue with Excel files
Hi all, I'm trying to do classic scenario for loading multiple Excel files into...
Case part is sloooooow
Hi So the case statement is slowing this down - but for the life...
Question of the Day
The String Distance I
In SQL Server 2025, what is returned by this code:
SELECT EDIT_DISTANCE('tim', 'tom')
Assume preview features are enabled. See possible answers