Beginner, Expert, or Both?
It can be easy to start learning about a topic, think you've mastered it, and become complacent. Steve Jones notes that an expert beginner might be what you are, but it's not necessarily what you want to be.
How to implement SHA-2 in SQL Server 2005 or 2008 with a CLR assembly
SQL Server 2012 supports SHA-256 and SHA-512 through the HASHBYTES() function, but earlier versions of SQL Server do not. SHA-256, SHA-384 and SHA-512 can, however, be implemented in SQL Server 2005 or SQL Server 2008 with the CLR assembly described in this article.
IT Security
A recent survey says IT security is a major concern for many businesses. Steve Jones wonders why they don't make more of an effort to implement better security in their applications and processes.
SQLServerCentral Changes - Oct 2013
We've made a few changes to the site, and we want you to check them out.
DAX Statistical Functions
Following on from his first four articles on using Data Analysis Expressions (DAX) with tabular databases, Robert Sheldon dives into some of the DAX statistical functions available, demonstrating which are the most useful and examples of how they work.
The Ratio
How many developers does it take to overwhelm a DBA? It's an interesting question, and this week Steve Jones asks how many you actually support.
RD Licensing Configuration on Windows Server 2012
The Microsoft Performance Team discusses the steps in installing/configuring Windows Server 2012 Remote Desktop Services Licensing in your environment using various available options.
SQL Saturday #227 - Charleston
SQL Saturday is coming to Charleston, SC on October 12, 2013. SQL Saturday is a free training event for SQL Server professionals and those wanting to learn about SQL Server. Don't miss Charleston's first SQL Saturday.
Replication: Distribution Agent Monitoring
Learn about the distribution agent and how to identify replication bottlenecks.
Lab Ops 2–The Lee-Robinson Script
Marcus Robinson adapted PowerShell scripts by Thomas Lee to build a set of VMs to run a course in a reliable and repeatable way. With Marcus’s permission, Andrew Fryer has put that Setup Script on SkyDrive, and provided notes on the script.
Blogs
QUOTENAME Basics: #SQLNewBlogger
By Steve Jones
Recently I ran across some code that used a lot of QUOTENAME() calls. A...
When growing companies outgrow Excel
By ChrisJenkins
There are some telltale signs that your growing business has outgrown Excel for your...
T-SQL Tuesday #198 Roundup: How Do You Detect Data Changes?
Thank you to everyone who participated in T-SQL Tuesday #198! When I wrote the...
Forums
Stairway to Reliable Database Deployment Level 3 – Rehearsing Changesets Across Environments
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Stairway to Reliable Database Deployment...
QUOTENAME Quote Parameters
Comments posted to this topic are about the item QUOTENAME Quote Parameters
Limit the Blast Radius
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Limit the Blast Radius
Question of the Day
QUOTENAME Quote Parameters
When I use QUOTENAME(), I can optionally provide the character used to surround the string in the result. Can I use any character?
See possible answers