How to Change the SQL Server Name after Renaming the Windows Host
This article shows how to change a SQL Server name after changing the Windows machine name.
Getting Started Testing Databases with tSQLt
There are several frameworks for assisting with the testing of SQL Server databases, but tSQLt is popular because it is written in TSQL and is simple for a database developer to set up and use. It doesn't get in the way. Rob Sheldon shows you how to get started.
#22: What counts for a DBA
In this session Louis Davidson, Microsoft MVP, discusses how being observant of the environment you work in can help you make sure that you are aware of the health of your database systems, as well as your career. You can watch the complete webinar here. Answers to any questions asked are further down the page, […]
The Challenger
There is plenty of competition in the database platform space for SQL Server. There's a new NuSQL platform, whose vendor hopes will replace SQL Server as the platform of choice in the cloud. However Steve Jones isn't sure this will be the case.
Using XML from data variable option in SSIS
Learn how you can manipulat XML documents solely in memory. No file required.
Webinar: Forgotten Rings and Other Monitoring Stories
In this session, Grant Fritchey, Microsoft MVP, drills down into a few of the more obscure monitoring metrics that can give you very precise information about exactly what's happening within your server. He'll also show you how you can use custom metrics to enable these metrics in Red Gate's SQL Monitor.
Webinar: Using SQL Storage Compress by Steve Jones and Brad McGehee
Steve Jones and Brad McGehee lead you through real-world examples of working with SQL Storage Compress
Forwarding Pointers in Heaps
When no clustered index is defined on a table, that table is said to be a Heap. Heaps are not ideal when it comes to performance but there are lots of instances where you have heaps.
Converting Large Object Data Types
Eliminate pesky legacy TEXT, NTEXT and IMAGE data types with this handy script.
Blogs
Advice I Like: Respect
By Steve Jones
“Don’t aim to have others like you; aim to have them respect you.” –...
Blue Sky Programming – The Optimism Trap
Many years ago, before I joined Oracle, I was working on a major modernisation...
Setting Up a Mac for Data Engineering and AI Work
If you work with data pipelines, SQL, notebooks, or machine learning models, a Mac...
Forums
SQL Art, Part 4: Happy 4th of July — A British DBA's Guide to Celebrating a War We Don't Talk About
Comments posted to this topic are about the item SQL Art, Part 4: Happy...
Is Fabric a Reliable Service or a Ripped Resource?
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Is Fabric a Reliable Service...
locking down agent for new user on our dev machine
hi , a new user wants to be able to add sql agent jobs...
Question of the Day
BIT_COUNT I
In SQL Server 2025, I have a table (dbo.UserPermission) that contains this data:
UserID UserPermissions 15 23 37What is returned when I run this code:
select bit_count(UserPermissions) as PermissionCount from dbo.UserPermission where UserID = 3;See possible answers