SQL Server 2019 Cumulative Update #8
SQL Server 2019 Cumulative Update #8 is available, with 104 enhancements. The build number is 15.0.4073.23.
Parse parameter default values using PowerShell – Part 2
I've made the GitHub repository for ParamParser public; here is some more background behind this project.
SQL Server 2016 SP2 Cumulative Update #15
SQL Server 2016 SP2 Cumulative Update #15 is available, with 21 enhancements. The build number is 13.0.5850.14.
Parse parameter default values using PowerShell – Part 1
I've started a new project to parse default values from stored procedures and functions.
Avoid SQL Server 2019 Cumulative Update #7
I like to encourage people to always be on the latest Cumulative Update, but lately my confidence has been eroding. The latest patch for SQL Server 2019 hasn't helped.
Please don't use sys.sp_columns!
If you ever use sys.sp_columns as shorthand for catalog views, please don't, and I'll tell you why.
When pigs fly : My first Windows PC build in over a decade
Whether you love or fear new PC builds, it's not every day a Mac person builds a Windows PC. See the parts I chose and how much more economical this option can be.
SQL Server 2017 Cumulative Update #22
SQL Server 2017 Cumulative Update #22 is available, with 42 enhancements. The build number is 14.0.3356.20.
T-SQL Tuesday #130 : Automate Your Stress Away
This month, Elizabeth Noble asks us to talk about things we have automated (or want to automate). I talk about a project I just started, called GetAllTheErrorLogs.
SQL Server 2019 Cumulative Update #7
SQL Server 2019 Cumulative Update #7 is available, with 56 enhancements. The build number is 15.0.4063.15.
Please stop using this UPSERT anti-pattern
There is a very common anti-pattern you should avoid, involving updating a row if it exists and inserting it if it doesn't. See how to avoid race conditions and deadlocks.
Sometimes you CAN upsize a column in-place
Altering a fixed-width column on a large table can often mean either a lot of planning or a lot of downtime, but in some scenarios there may be an easy out.
Altering a column ONLINE might still be a disruptive, size-of-data operation
We had a case where we increased a varchar column's size, ONLINE, but it caused significant downstream effects. See why.
Help improve STRING_SPLIT without threatening backward compatibility
There are some limitations with STRING_SPLIT that could be overcome, but the cleanest solution might be to add a new function altogether.
SQL Server 2016 SP2 Cumulative Update #14
SQL Server 2016 SP2 Cumulative Update #14 is available, with 18 enhancements. The build number is 13.0.5830.85.
Using Taylor Swift to explain my job to my 7-year old
My daughter surprised me with a question about work last week, and I answered her by invoking Taylor Swift.
SQL Server 2019 Cumulative Update #6
SQL Server 2019 Cumulative Update #6 is available, with 51 enhancements. The build number is 15.0.4053.23.
A reliable and flexible replacement for sp_MSforeachdb
Find out about the replacement I wrote for the undocumented, unsupported, and ill-advised system procedure, sp_MSforeachdb.
Some weekend maintenance here on sqlblog.org
A quick update on some maintenance I performed on the site over the weekend.
Troubleshooting Error 18456
Updated in 2020 with a few new entries, this is a fairly comprehensive list of the reasons behind various 18456 error messages.
T-SQL Tuesday #128 : Learn From Others
For this month's T-SQL Tuesday, Kerry Tyler asks us to talk about something that went wrong. I had plenty to choose from, and went way back to ~2002 for this short story.