To create an Azure VM for SQL Server, pick a SQL Server image in the portal, size the machine, and set the network and SQL options before you press Create. This post walks through each portal tab, explains which choices are hard to change later, and ends with three T-SQL checks to run once you are connected. It also covers the cost of leaving the machine running.
Why an Encrypted Column Shows NULL on a Subscriber
An encrypted column shows NULL on a subscriber when the subscriber’s symmetric key doesn’t match the publisher’s key. This post reproduces the symptom with two demo databases, compares key_guid in both and shows the fix. It also explains what replication copies and what it leaves behind.
Oracle to SQL SERVER Migration – Triggers Used While Migration
Moving from Oracle to SQL Server is like switching phones: old habits come along. A client tuning case about the triggers used during the migration.
query_store_query_text: Searching Query History by Statement Text
A LIKE search on Query Store text is a good first step, but one search found four statements, including itself. I show how to narrow it down to the real history.
SQL SERVER 2016 – Trace Flag 1117 is Discontinued. Use the Options Provided with ALTER DATABASE
SQL Server 2016 discontinued trace flag 1117 and 1118 for TempDB. Use the options in ALTER DATABASE instead, as I found on a client server.
How to Find Number of Times Function Called in SQL Server? – Interview Question of the Week #104
A function was causing CPU spikes. How many times was that function called, and at what cost? The SQL Server 2016 DMV dm_exec_function_stats shows it.
SQL SERVER – FIX – Error – Msg 4928, Level 16, State 1. Cannot Alter Column Because it is ‘Enabled for Replication or Change Data Capture’
Msg 4928 blames Replication or Change Data Capture on a database that has neither. Reproduced on SQL Server 2025, with the flags to check and the fix.