Last updated: 16 September 2026
This page explains what information blog.sqlauthority.com collects when you visit, why it is collected, and the choices you have. The website belongs to Pinal Dave and Nupur Dave (“SQL Authority”, “we” or “us”). If you have any question about your privacy, email us at pinal@sqlauthority.com.
The short version
- You can read every article without telling us your name or email address.
- We use Google Analytics to see which articles are read, and Google AdSense to show ads. Both use cookies.
- If you leave a comment, we keep what you write and the details you enter.
- We do not sell or rent your personal information to anyone.
Information we collect
When you read the blog
Like every website, our hosting provider records basic technical details of each visit in server logs: your IP address, browser type, the page you asked for and the time. These logs keep the site running and help us spot problems.
A security plugin (Wordfence) checks visits to block attacks and abuse. To do this it looks at IP addresses and requests, and may share IP addresses with Wordfence’s threat detection service.
Jetpack Stats, a service from WordPress.com (Automattic), counts visits so we can see which posts are popular. It records details such as your IP address, browser, the page that sent you here and your approximate country.
When you leave a comment
When you comment, we collect the name, email address and website (optional) you enter, your comment, your IP address and your browser details. Your email address is never shown publicly.
- Spam checks: comments are checked by Akismet (Automattic), which receives the comment and its details to decide whether it is spam.
- Profile pictures: a scrambled string made from your email address (a hash) may be sent to Gravatar (Automattic) to show your profile picture next to your comment.
- Comment cookies: after you comment, WordPress may save your name, email address and website in cookies on your device for one year, so you do not have to type them again.
Comments and their details are kept so the conversation stays readable. You can ask us to remove your comment at any time.
When you email us
If you email us, we keep your message and email address so we can reply and keep a record of the conversation. We do not add you to any mailing list.
When you subscribe by email
If you choose to receive new posts by email, your subscription is handled by Jetpack and WordPress.com (Automattic), which store your email address to send you the posts. Every email has a link to unsubscribe.
When you pay for a service
Our payment pages use PayPal. PayPal processes the payment, and we never see your card or bank details. We receive your name, email address and the amount paid so we can provide the service you bought. See PayPal’s privacy statement.
Cookies
Cookies are small files a website stores in your browser. This site and the services it uses set cookies for these purposes:
- Analytics: Google Analytics cookies that count visits and show how the site is used.
- Advertising: Google AdSense cookies that show ads and measure them.
- Comments: the WordPress comment cookies described above.
- Statistics and security: cookies from Jetpack (WordPress.com) and Wordfence.
- Embedded content: cookies from sites such as YouTube when a post includes their videos.
You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings. The articles will still work, although some features may not.
Google Analytics
We use Google Analytics 4 to understand how visitors use the blog: which pages are viewed, for how long, from what type of device, from which general location, and how people arrive here. Google Analytics 4 does not store IP addresses. We use this information only to improve the blog. You can stop Google Analytics from measuring your visits with the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on. Google’s use of this data is covered by the Google Privacy Policy.
Advertising
Ads on this site are served by Google AdSense. Google and other third-party vendors use cookies to show ads based on your earlier visits to this website and to other websites. Google’s advertising cookies let Google and its partners show you ads based on your visits to this site and other sites on the internet.
- You can turn off personalized ads from Google in Google’s Ads Settings.
- You can opt out of personalized ads from many other vendors at aboutads.info.
- Read how Google uses information from sites that use its services and how Google uses cookies in advertising.
Embedded content from other websites
Many articles include videos from YouTube and other embedded content. Embedded content behaves exactly as if you had visited the other website. Those websites may collect data about you, use cookies and track your interaction with the embedded content. YouTube is part of Google and is covered by the Google Privacy Policy.
Who we share information with
We share information only with the services that run this website, and only as described on this page:
- Hostinger, which hosts the website (privacy policy)
- Google, for Analytics, AdSense and YouTube
- Automattic, for Jetpack, WordPress.com, Akismet and Gravatar (privacy policy)
- Wordfence, for security (privacy policy)
- PayPal, for payments
- Our email provider, which delivers the emails this website sends
We do not sell or rent your personal information. We may disclose information if the law requires it.
How long we keep information
- Comments stay on the site unless you ask us to remove them.
- Server and security logs are kept for short periods set by our hosting provider and security tools.
- Analytics data is kept for the retention period set in Google Analytics.
- Emails are kept as long as we need them to help you.
- Backups of the website, which include comments, are made regularly and kept securely for a limited time.
Your rights and choices
You can ask us to show you, correct or delete the personal information we hold about you, such as your comments, by emailing pinal@sqlauthority.com. Depending on where you live, for example in the European Union, the United Kingdom or California, you may have further rights, including the right to object to how your information is used. We will answer your request as soon as we can, and within one month.
You can also turn off personalized ads, block Google Analytics and manage cookies using the options described above.
Children
This blog is written for database professionals and is not directed at children under 13 (or under 16 where local law says so). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has given us personal information, please email us and we will delete it.
Security
The website uses HTTPS, security monitoring and regular backups to protect your information. No method of storing or sending information over the internet is completely secure, but we work to keep your information safe.
Changes to this policy
When the way we handle information changes, we update this page and the date at the top.
Contact
Pinal Dave, SQL Authority
Email: pinal@sqlauthority.com
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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 19 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.

