To keep up to date with all the technologies in SQL Server, the DBA or developer who wants to stay ahead is faced with the struggle of constant learning. How do you keep up while avoiding information overload, unnecessary detours and dead-ends?
The SQL Server Stairways is our solution to this problem. Designed to smooth out even the steepest learning curve, each Stairway is a SQL tutorial series focused on a single topic and is arranged into no more than a dozen easily-navigable tutorials that we call 'steps'. Each step is the length of a typical magazine tutorial, and emphasizes practical, hands-on learning, with just enough background theory to help you understand the topic at a deeper level.
Using straightforward language and avoiding jargon and marketing babble, each Stairway tutorial series is designed to take you from zero knowledge of a particular SQL Server topic to a level of practical understanding that will allow you to start using that feature in a production environment. The learning gradient is steady and manageable, but also brisk. You won't be wasting time.
Happy climbing!
AlwaysOn is a complex set of technologies that is often mis-understood. In this Stairway you will learn about the AlwaysOn technologies, how they fit into the High Availability stack, and how to make good use of them.
2024-07-23 (first published: 2014-06-25)
16,146 reads
This series looks at the Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) feature in SQL Server 2008+.
2024-06-26 (first published: 2016-11-23)
2,285 reads
This stairway series is designed to teach you about the Azure Synapse Analytics cloud service.
2024-06-19
56 reads
This stairway series tries to help the reader become comfortable with server management objects (SMO). These objects are a programmatic way of accessing SQL Server functions and objects through an API from .NET. This series will help you learn the basics with practical applications for your work.
2024-01-20 (first published: 2023-11-30)
972 reads
Data Analysis Expressions (DAX) can be used in formulas or expressions to calculate and return information from data already in our Power BI models. This Stairway series serves as a progressive introduction to DAX within the context of Power BI, examining the functions, operators and values involved, and examining their operation in practice examples. As a part of introducing DAX functions and overall capabilities, the Levels of the series will also offer a wealth of practical exposure to Power BI features as a part of putting DAX to work in our data models and visualizations.
2024-01-16 (first published: 2011-08-09)
17,995 reads
2023-10-16 (first published: 2023-09-13)
761 reads
Automated testing is a way to ensure you can repeatedly examine your code as you make changes by running a series of tests. Since these are automated, you have the ability to execute all tests with one programmatic call rather than hoping a developer runs all tests. This also allows the effort of writing tests […]
2023-10-15 (first published: 2023-02-22)
671 reads
2023-02-22 (first published: 2022-02-28)
2,020 reads
Snowflake is a cloud data warehouse platform that runs on AWS, Azure, and Google Compute Platform. This series looks at the structure and setup of a Snowflake data warehouse.
2021-05-19
2,501 reads
Containers are a lightweight way of building applications that run on a host. Similar to virtualization, the container is a virtual OS rather than a full machine. This stairway will walk you through the basis of containers using Docker for Windows and SQL Server inside of a container.
2019-07-06
7,412 reads
By Steve Jones
vicarous – adj. curious to know what someone else would do if they were...
Say we have a database that we want to migrate a copy of into...
We are trying to get apps and users off of using SQL accounts to...
Hi I have this view to check if a job is running: SELECT...
All, if you are like me and do not care for the built-in color...
Certain internal SQL Server actions cause internal checkpoints. Which of these actions does not cause an internal checkpoint?
See possible answers