SQL Server

Stairway icons Database Deployments

Designing Database Changes Before Deployment: Level 1 of the Stairway to Reliable Database Deployments

  • Stairway Step

Stairway to Reliable Database Deployments introduces a progressive approach to managing database changes with clear intent, predictable rollback, and explicit behavioral guarantees. Starting from change design and moving toward execution and coordination in complex environments, the Stairway provides a conceptual framework for deploying database changes safely and consistently, independent of specific tools or automation platforms.

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2026-04-15

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SQLServerCentral Article

Creating a Simple and Flexible Random Password Generator in SQL Server

  • Article

Generating temporary passwords is a common requirement in many applications. Users may need to reset a forgotten password, new accounts may require an initial password, or developers may generate test credentials. While password generation is often implemented in application code, doing it directly in SQL Server provides clear advantages. It centralizes the logic, ensures consistency […]

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2026-04-10

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SQLServerCentral Article

SQL Automate - A DBA's Time-Saving Toolkit

  • Article

SQLAutomate is a lightweight PowerShell tool that simplifies SQL Server deployment by automating both installation and post-installation configuration. Whether you're setting up one instance or dozens, this guide shows how to use SQLAutomate to save time and reduce manual work.

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2025-06-06

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SQLServerCentral Article

How to Safely Remove a SQL Server Data File Without Downtime

  • Article

Learn how to safely remove a SQL Server .ndf data file without any downtime using DBCC SHRINKFILE (EMPTYFILE). This hands-on tutorial walks through real-world Azure-based setup, data redistribution, and storage cleanup — ideal for DBAs managing enterprise SQL Server environments.

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2025-05-16

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SQLServerCentral Article

Determining Whether Home Addresses Fall Within a Tornado Polygon Using Spatial Functions

  • Article

Geographic information systems (GIS) play a critical role in emergency response planning and risk assessment. One of the key challenges in this field is determining whether a specific location falls within an area of interest. This capability is especially valuable for property and casualty (P&C) insurers, who need to assess their insured property exposure when severe weather events such as tornadoes occur.

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2025-03-04 (first published: )

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SQLServerCentral Article

Set up a Windows Server Fail-over Clusters (As a Precursor to High Availability in Standard Edition)

  • Article

Setting up High Availability in SQL server has some prerequisites. One of these is that the database servers must be members of the same Windows Server Failover Cluster. In this article I show how to succesfully set up WSFC and activate Cluster Aware Updating

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2024-06-28

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Identities and Sequences V

When thinking about the identity property and sequence objects, which of these can generate values before an insert statement is executed?

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