Orphaned Distribution Transactions
Learn about orphaned distribution transactions in SQL Server and how you can clear them.
Encrypting and Decrypting SQL Server Stored Procedures, Views and User-Defined Functions
Some companies put business or application logic in SQL Server using stored procedures, views and functions to return values to the calling applications or perform tasks. This is not unusual in companies that use the SQL Server layer to perform business tasks, such as finance operations, or incorporate application functionality into the programmability layer. Here's a tip to preserve secrecy on some procedures, views or functions in order to maintain security.
SQL Saturday #231 Cocoa Beach
Join us for a free day of SQL Server training and networking on July 27 in Cocoa Beach, Florida.
Parameter Sniffing and Sniffing Memory
This article aims to demonstrate bad parameter sniffing and its effects on memory grants.
The Desktop
Steve Jones talks about laptops and desktop machines, and the potential issues that IT professionals have with one or the other.
Using DAX to retrieve tabular data
Data Analysis Expressions (DAX), originally the formula language for PowerPivot workbooks, can also be used within the MDX query window of SSMS to directly access data from a tabular SSAS database, an in-memory database that uses the xVelocity analytics engine and compression. Robert Sheldon shows how easy it is to retrieve data from a tabular database.
Sending E-Mail from SQL 2008 Express
This article provides a comprehensive solution to sending email from SQL Express 2008 and Express 2008 R2.
The Vacation Struggle
It can be hard to take all your time off each year and Steve Jones is in that situation right now. However he reminds us that life is more important than work.
Security for SQL Server User Defined Data Types
I have a group of developers that I support and they are reporting they cannot see columns within their tables. I have granted them db_datareader permissions which is a standard at my company for QA environments. Why can't they see their column definitions? Check out this tip to learn more.
Blogs
Why I stopped using MCP for AI coding stuff
By HeyMo0sh
Something has shifted quietly in 2026. The developers I know/respect—the ones actually shipping, not...
AI: Blog a Day – Day 5: Notebooks, Hugging face models and Fine Tuning
By Vinay Thakur
Continuing from Day 4 where we learned Encoder, Decoder, and Attention Mechanism, today we...
AI: Blog a Day – Day 4: Transformers – Encoder, Decoder, and Attention
By Vinay Thakur
Continuing from Day 3 where we covered LLM models open/closed and their parameters, Today...
Forums
Dynamic Unpivot
I have a table I didn't design that has tons of repeating groups in...
Writing as an Art and a Job
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Writing as an Art and...
String Similarity II
Comments posted to this topic are about the item String Similarity II
Question of the Day
String Similarity II
What is the range for the result from the EDIT_DISTANCE_SIMILARITY() function in SQL Server 2025?
See possible answers