Photographs from my wedding day on December 12, 2008, the same day as my 800th article. Meet Nupur, whom one reader kindly called Mrs. SQLAuthority.
Which SSMS Version Can Connect to Which SQL Server Version
Choose an SSMS version for your SQL Server targets, check client and engine builds, and handle newer encryption defaults.
Percent Change Between Rows: Handling Zero and NULL Safely
One zero month can kill a revenue report. Here is how to get percent change without errors or lies.
Breaking Ties Deterministically: Why ORDER BY Needs a Tie-Breaker
Tied scores can come back in any order, which breaks paging. Here is the one column that fixes it.
Updating a Large Table in Batches With a Moving Key Range
Walk the clustered key a slice at a time, log each batch, and learn why stopping at the first empty batch quietly leaves rows behind.
An Upgrade Checklist That Fits on One Page
An upgrade checklist that fits on one page keeps before, during, and after checks visible, including backups, logins, jobs, clients, and rollback.
Designing a Database for Multiple Customers
A database for multiple customers can share tables, split schemas, or split databases; the choice balances isolation and operating cost.
SQL SERVER – Interesting Interview Questions – Part 2 – Puzzle
None of the 40 candidates I interviewed solved this simple puzzle, one of my interesting interview questions: find each person who has all the selected colors.
SQL SERVER – Find Table Row Count Without Using T-SQL and Without Opening Table
An interview question: how do you find a table row count without using T-SQL or opening the table? SSMS table properties show it on the Storage page.
The Blocked Process Report
The blocked process report shows the waiting session and blocker after a configured threshold, with Extended Events capturing the XML for review.