Stairways

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!

Stairway to Azure SQL Database

Stairway to Azure SQL Database

Azure SQL Database is Microsoft’s fully managed cloud relational database service in Microsoft Azure. With many companies moving to cloud based solutions Azure SQL Database is a leading option for the data tier that many consider.

The aim of this stairway course is to give you a comprehensive practical guide on how to begin creating Azure SQL Databases whilst trying to convey some very important practical knowledge on the way. This stairway course assumes that you have absolutely no knowledge of Azure and after completing it you will become comfortable with creating logical SQL servers, databases, correct security configuration around firewalls and logins hence allowing you to connect to the database via SQL Server Management Studio.

5 (3)

You rated this post out of 5. Change rating

2018-06-05

7,218 reads

Stairway to Exploring Database Metadata

Stairway to Exploring Database Metadata

In addition to the data that our clients and customers store in a database, there is a tremendous amount of meta data, 'data about data', that describes how the database is set up, configured, and what the properties are for the various objects. This stairway aims to demystify and explain how you can query and use this meta data to more effectively manage your SQL Server Databases.

5 (3)

You rated this post out of 5. Change rating

2016-07-15

4,408 reads

Technical Article

Stairway to U-SQL

As Microsoft continues to expand the Azure platform, they have enhanced its ability in ways that are quite different from what we've come to expect from SQL Server. Learn about the new language from Microsoft, U-SQL, designed to work with Data Lakes and Big Data in Azure.

5 (1)

You rated this post out of 5. Change rating

2016-06-07

6,370 reads

Stairway to SQL Server Extended Events

Stairway to SQL Server Extended Events

Erin Stellato, a Principal Consultant with SQLskills.com, explores the use of Extended Events as a diagnostic data collection tool or SQL Server. She describes how to define efficient low-overhead event sessions that exploit fully the vast number of events, as well as the powerful filtering and data collection options, offered by this new event collection infrastructure. She also demonstrates simple techniques to analyze event data and identify and troubleshoot the causes of poor SQL Server performance, such as long-running queries that consume vast amounts of CPU and I/O resources. It is time to embrace Extended Events and understand all that it has to offer, and Erin's stairway is the perfect place to start.

4 (1)

You rated this post out of 5. Change rating

2015-12-01

5,653 reads

Stairway to Columnstore Indexes

Stairway to Columnstore Indexes

SQL Server 2012 and later offer a very different type of index from the traditional b-tree, the in-memory columnstore index. These indexes use a column-based storage model, as well as a new 'batch mode' of query execution and can offer huge performance increases for certain workloads. But how are they built, how do they work, and why do they manage to have such a dramatic impact on performance? In this stairway, Hugo Kornelis explains all, with his usual mix of concise description and detailed demonstration.

5 (4)

You rated this post out of 5. Change rating

2015-01-22

11,404 reads

Stairway to Advanced T-SQL

Stairway to Advanced T-SQL

This stairway will contain a series of articles that will expand on the T-SQL foundation that you learned in the prior two T-SQL stairways, Stairway to T-SQL DML and T-SQL Beyond the Basics. This stairway should help readers prepare for passing the Microsoft Certification exam 70-461: Querying Microsoft SQL Server 2012.

5 (2)

You rated this post out of 5. Change rating

2014-12-11

18,890 reads

Blogs

SQL Saturday Boston 2024 Slides

By

Thanks to everyone that came to my talks. Slides are below. Best Practices for...

Small Data SF 2024

By

I can’t remember how I heard about Small Data SF 2024, but it caught...

A New Word: Moledro

By

moledro – n. a feeling of resonant connection with an author or artist you’ll...

Read the latest Blogs

Forums

Impact of adding the opening of the Master Key in a SQL job for SSIS packages

By abdalah.mehdoini

Bonjour à tous, J'ai un problème d'exécution de mes packages SSIS. A chaque opération...

Being an extroverted introvert at a conference

By Louis Davidson (@drsql)

Comments posted to this topic are about the item Being an extroverted introvert at...

Need to group the same valued ID fields to run an aggregate average over them

By Zososql

I have data that contains poll results, with the poll_id consistuting a single row...

Visit the forum

Question of the Day

How are statistics stored?

How are the statistics for query optimization stored in SQL Server?

See possible answers