SQL Server 2005 ships with risky features off. The Surface Area Configuration tool turns them on or off, and here is what replaced it later.
SQL Server emergency? Email pinal@sqlauthority.com with URGENT in the subject line.
SQL SERVER – Pre-Code Review Tips – Tips For Enforcing Coding Standards
Pre-code review tips for DBAs: why I check stored procedures on our development server every day for coding standards, with a link to my full article.
SQL SERVER – T-SQL Script to Add Clustered Primary Key
A Jr. DBA asked me three times in one day how to create a clustered primary key, so I gave him this ALTER TABLE example. He never asked again.
SQL SERVER – UDF vs. Stored Procedures and Having vs. WHERE
My first article in SQL Server Magazine, October 2007, covered UDF vs. stored procedures and HAVING vs. WHERE. The article has moved, so its links are off.
SQL SERVER – 2005 – Sample Example of RANKING Functions – ROW_NUMBER, RANK, DENSE_RANK, NTILE
SQL Server 2005 has four ranking functions: ROW_NUMBER, RANK, DENSE_RANK and NTILE. I explain what each returns and show a sample example of all four.
SQL SERVER – 2005 – Connection Property of SQL Server Management Studio SSMS
How to change connection properties in SSMS as you connect, like using named pipes instead of TCP/IP, as I do for one of our servers. Screenshots show each step.
SQLAuthority News – Latest Interesting Downloads and Articles
Latest interesting downloads and articles: the SQL Server 2005 JDBC Driver 1.1, and a white paper on why similar Analysis Services queries can return two answers.
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Who We Are
Pinal Dave is an SQL Server Performance Tuning Expert and independent consultant with over 24 years of hands-on experience. He holds a Masters of Science degree and numerous database certifications.
Pinal has authored 18 SQL Server database books and 120 Pluralsight courses. To freely share his knowledge and help others build their expertise, Pinal has also written more than 5,800 database tech articles on his blog at https://blog.sqlauthority.com.
Pinal is also a CrossFit Level 1 Trainer (CF-L1) and CrossFit Level 2 Trainer (CF-L2).
Nupur Dave is a social media enthusiast and an independent consultant. She primarily focuses on the database domain, helping clients build short and long-term multi-channel campaigns to drive leads for their sales pipeline.
Shaivi Pinalkumar Dave is a book author and a women’s artistic gymnast.

