SQLServerCentral Editorial

Double Checks

Many of us have checks in place on systems or processes, but would we be aware of tampering with the operation of our computer systems? Steve Jones notes that auditing can be important to ensure things are working well.

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New SQL Monitor Custom Metric: Default User Service Account

Using a default account for SQL Server services can be a security risk for two reasons. Firstly, it can give the service a higher level of permissions than it needs. Secondly, isolation is compromised by several services running under the same account. This metric checks whether SQL Server services are running under any of the default accounts, such as localsystem.

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Fun with JSON II

By Steve Jones - SSC Editor

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Changing Data Types

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Answering Questions On Dropped Columns

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Question of the Day

Fun with JSON II

I have some data in a table:

CREATE TABLE #test_data
(
    id INT PRIMARY KEY,
    name VARCHAR(100),
    birth_date DATE
);

-- Step 2: Insert rows  
INSERT INTO #test_data
VALUES
(1, 'Olivia', '2025-01-05'),
(2, 'Emma', '2025-03-02'),
(3, 'Liam', '2025-11-15'),
(4, 'Noah', '2025-12-22');
If I run this query, how many rows are returned?
SELECT t1.[key] AS row,
       t2.*
FROM OPENJSON(
     (
         SELECT t.* FROM #test_data AS t FOR JSON PATH
     )
             ) t1
    CROSS APPLY OPENJSON(t1.value) t2;

See possible answers