I discuss my roller coaster of emotions since learning that SQL Server 2022 would support instant file initialization for log files.

In this tip, I take a quick look at some changes to Always Encrypted that make it easier to use.

While it might promote less than ideal practices, I show how to use a DDL trigger to keep views in sync with a volatile schema.

In the final part of this series, I convert my T-SQL code to MySQL, so you can build a fancy archives page in WordPress.

I show that a new experimental feature in Docker 4.16+ lets you run "real" SQL Server on Apple M1+ chips.

In the second part of this series, I show how to use a calendar table to simplify rendering an archives page.

A good round of updates for most modern versions of SQL Server, including the first cumulative update for SQL Server 2022.

I started a short series on building visual calendars, like those seen in the monthly archives page here.

I discuss an organization’s responsibility for protecting personal information.

I talk about some of the pivotal criteria guiding how Stack Overflow will migrate to Azure.

In part 3, I show how to automate creating new tables, dropping old tables, and adjusting the view.

In part 2, I look at general strategies for partitioning an archive table (even without Enterprise!) to reduce long-term data movement.

In this series, I look at strategies for archiving data and how it can impact your entire infrastructure.

In this tip, I show how to simplify calculations involving nth weekday or non-weekday, with and without a calendar table.

On the 10th anniversary of SQLPerformance.com, I look back on my favorite posts – one from each year.

For this month's T-SQL Tuesday, Deb Melkin asks us get up on our favorite soapbox. I have so many, but this time I picked a new one…

Logging tables can grow unchecked for years, and date range queries against them get more and more expensive if they don't use the clustered index. Read about one way I've mitigated this problem.

Using a fictitious future timeline, I explain how CUs and GDRs differ and why build number alone might not tell the whole story.

In this tip, I show some real-life reasons why you may not want to create all the partitions you'll ever need up front.

I talk about why I prefer CONVERT over CAST to be consistent. Basically, if you sometimes HAVE to use only one, why not just ALWAYS use that one?

There are often multiple ways to express a query and get the same results, often without any change in performance. Learn about one example.

In this tip, I talk about the compatibility between major versions and SQL Server's internal database version.

Today I received a mind-blowing award for my 200th tip at MSSQLTips.com.

In 2015, I wrote about a stored procedure to find strings within all tables across all user databases. In this follow-up tip, I enhance the procedure to optionally include views and search within specific databases.

I show how to piece together portions of SQL Server metadata to generate DBML (which is more useful than it sounds).

I wrote two tips around what you can do when a table that stores the same strings over and over again has grown to an unmanageable size: create a dimension table!

A recent documentation update raises questions about the love-it-or-hate-it READ UNCOMMITTED isolation level.

In this tip I show how I combine GROUPING SETS and PIVOT to get crosstab-style reports without Excel.

I talk about progress in aggregating strings – both in the functionality offered by SQL Server and the quality of my own code samples.

I harassed Erik Ejlskov Jensen enough to make me a universal command-line version of SqlQueryStress, and walk you through setting up a performance test between an Intel and M1 MacBook.