What is your default database set to?
Some people set their default database to the database they use most often. This can cause issues when a restore fails.
Window Functions in SQL
SQL's windowing functions are surprisingly versatile, and allow us to cut out all those self-joins and explicit cursors. Joe Celko explains how they are used, and shows a few tricks such as calculating deltas in a time series, and filling in gaps.
Runtime Code
Do you test your code? What about code that is generated by applications and executed at runtime. Is that tested well? Steve Jones wonders.
Overview of the Different In-Memory OLTP Index Types
In-Memory table or what Microsoft refers to as In-Memory OLTP, or Hekaton is a new type of table is available with SQL Server 2014. In this article Greg Larsen discusses the different types of indexes you can place on your In-Memory tables, and how those indexes support different search criteria.
SQL in the City Seminar Portland 2013 –Deployment Stairway
Join Red Gate for a free seminar on November 15 (the day before SQL Saturday Oregon). Steve Jones and Grant Fritchey, SQL Server MVPs, will present best practices for SQL Server version control, continuous integration and deployment, in addition to showing Red Gate tools in action.
Using the SQL Server Distributed Replay feature
This tip will guide you through a simple example to illustrate how you can use the SQL Server Distributed Replay feature to replay a simple SQL Server trace file that contained two sessions executing statements concurrently.
Cloud Storage. Make it the present instead of the future.
In which Phil Factor wonders why all the different cloud storage offerings are so different, sparse in their features, crude and incompatible
Cyberwar
Today Steve Jones talks about the prospect of cyberwar and the potential impacts on corporate systems. Perhaps we ought to be building better, more secure software.
Turbocharge Your Database Maintenance With Service Broker: Part 2
I demonstrate how to monitor and troubleshoot Service-Broker-task execution in the context of a database-maintenance process.
New SQL Monitor Metric: Principals with Sysadmin Login
This metric counts the number of principals who are members of the sysadmin fixed server role. SQL Server relies on role-based security to manage permissions. If multiple IT system administrators have permissions to set up new SQL Server logins, they might be inclined to do so as part of the sysadmin role. Adding a normal user to the sysadmin role could pose a security risk and is not recommended unless the principal is highly trusted.
Blogs
Webinar: Navigating the Database Landscape in 2026
By Steve Jones
For a number of years, we’ve produced the State of the Database Landscape report,...
Claude AI Convinced Me Not to Build an iPad App
By Steve Jones
I coach volleyball and I do a lot of stat stuff on paper. I...
A New Word: Dolorblindness
By Steve Jones
dolorblindness – n. the frustration that you’ll never be able to understand another person’s...
Forums
Data Warehouse Toolkit meets Star Schema: The Complete Reference
Is there a good syllabus for reading these two together? (Yes, it's called the...
GPX distance and time analysis in SQL Server
Comments posted to this topic are about the item GPX distance and time analysis...
The DBA is Dead; Long Live the DBA
Comments posted to this topic are about the item The DBA is Dead; Long...
Question of the Day
Changing the AG Listener
In SQL Server 2025, if I want to remove an IP from a listener, what do I do?
See possible answers