Move SQL Server data into open formats such as CSV, JSON, and Parquet while preserving types, NULLs, encoding, and readable files.
SQL Server emergency? Email pinal@sqlauthority.com with URGENT in the subject line.
SQL SERVER – A Cool Trick – Restoring the Default SQL Server Management Studio – SSMS
Closed Object Explorer by mistake or moved windows around? Here is a cool trick for restoring the default SQL Server Management Studio window layout.
Guest User in msdb: Keep CONNECT and Avoid Error 916
The guest user in msdb needs CONNECT permission for features that run under logins without a user there. I reproduced error 916 in a test database on SQL Server 2025, with a query to check guest in msdb and a way to list every database where guest can connect.
SQL SERVER – Detecting guest User Permissions – guest User Access Status
Is the guest user enabled or disabled, and what is the default? I answer reader questions and show ways to detect guest user access status.
Declare and Initialize Variables in SQL Server: SQL in Sixty Seconds #003
To declare and initialize variables in one statement, give each variable a type and a starting value in the same DECLARE. The tests here show the NULL default, a loop that does not reset an uninitialized variable, and the one character varchar trap on SQL Server 2025.
SQL SERVER – Force Removing User from Database – Fix: Error: Could not drop login ‘test’
Error 15434: could not drop login ‘test’ because the user is logged in. A reader ran my demo on production; here is my Force Removing User fix, no restart needed.
SQL SERVER – Disable Guest Account – Serious Security Issue
I like to disable guest account access in SQL Server unless there is a real need for it. Here is why the guest user can be a serious security issue.
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