Understanding Microsoft Power BI – Self Service Solutions
This article discusses Microsoft Power BI, different tools under the Microsoft Power BI umbrella and when each of them can be used.
Content in the Cloud
Steve Jones has some concerns over new options in SQL Server 2014 that might lead some customers to experiment in a way that causes them unexpected pain.
Vendor Value
Software maintenance is often required when purchasing software packages. But do the vendors deliver value for this charge? Steve Jones has a few thoughts on the subject.
SQL Server Operations from Set Theory
SQL Server provides the UNION, EXCEPT, and INTERSECT set operations. How do they work and how can they be used in SQL Server? Can you provide any examples? Check out this tip to learn more.
Trading in xp_cmdshell for SQLCLR (Part 1) - List Directory Contents
Learn how to use SQLCLR to get file system information instead of using xp_cmdshell on your SQL Servers.
Script to Set the SQL Server Database Default Schema For All Users
You may come across or even inherit a system where many of the users have different default schemas. Usually, this is easy to remedy - you go into Management Studio, right-click the user, and change the default schema through the UI. Or you write an ALTER USER command manually. But what if you have hundreds of users, across all of your user databases, that should all have the same default schema?
SQL Saturday #233 - Washington DC
SQL Saturday is a free day of SQL Server training and networking coming to Washington DC on December 7. Paid pre-con sessions for this SQL Saturday are available.
What is SQL Server not good at?
Today Steve Jones talks about some of the problems in SQL Server. Should we be documenting the situations in which features don't work well?
Migrating SQL Server Database to Windows Azure - Resolving Incompatibility Issues
In this series on implementing data services in Azure, Marcin Policht turns his attention to the remediation of incompatibilities resulting from of limitations inherent to Platform as a Service (PaaS) based deployments, which will need to be addressed as part of the migration process.
It Starts with Version Control
Steve Jones knows that good development practices require lots of skill and practice, but the basis for stability with your code is version control. He talks about some reasons why you might want to implement it.
Blogs
PlanTrace Now Supports PostgreSQL
PlanTrace Now Supports PostgreSQL The same plan analysis you know from...
A New Word: the Kinder Surprise
By Steve Jones
the kinder surprise – . the point in your early adolescence when you realize...
Crash-Consistent Snapshot Cloning - Hyper-V Edition
If you’ve been following my T-SQL Snapshot Backup series, most of what I’ve covered...
Forums
SSRS Is Dead. Here Are Your Real Options
Comments posted to this topic are about the item SSRS Is Dead. Here Are...
The Distance Metric
Comments posted to this topic are about the item The Distance Metric
The New Wave of Security Threats
Comments posted to this topic are about the item The New Wave of Security...
Question of the Day
The Distance Metric
In the new VECTOR_DISTANCE() function in SQL Server 2025, the first parameter is the distance_metric. What is this?
See possible answers