In one of my recent interactions with a DBA friend of mine, I had to dig into one of the simplest yet a capability which is available inside SQL Server. SQL Server from time to time has an uncanny requirement to enable certain Trace Flags. Trace Flags are specifically enabled by administrators to mitigate certain behavior that SQL Server has in specific situations. We need to understand that, these trace flags are a special purpose and shouldn’t be used without understanding what the implications are on the server as a whole. So please handle these with care. LEt us learn about trace flags.
SQL SERVER – Puzzle – ISNUMERIC and Unexpected Results – SQL in Sixty Seconds #076
It has been a long time since I have asked, puzzled on this blog so let us have fun time together with ISNUMERIC function. If you get the correct answer to this question, I will give you one month free subscription to Pluralsight.
SQL SERVER – Exploring SQL Auditing with SQL Compliance Manager
As database administrators, we are constantly quizzed by our superiors to answer questions such as: how secure is our network, how secure is our data, is data secure at rest, is data secure in transition, who is accessing my data? All these are basic yet compelling queries businesses ask. In this age of competitive businesses, organizations are becoming tech savvy in building a secure fort for their critical data. Having worked on many projects in the past, these security measures are something I know are non-negotiable from an implementation point of view for administrators. When on this topic, I am reminded of a conversation about SQL Compliance Manager, I had with a junior DBA named Siva.
SQL SERVER – Beginning Reading Transaction Log File
In this article we will examine what the SQL Server Transaction Log is, why do we need one and how it works.
SQL Authority News – Save USD 600 for SQL Live! 360 in November
I love talking about performance tuning and I love teaching about performance tuning. I think this is one subject, which everyone would like to discuss about, as this subject never gets old. I stay in India so I often deliver conference sessions on this subject over here. However, if you are in the USA, this is your opportunity to join me to discuss about SQL Server Performance. I’ll be speaking at Live! 360, November 17 – 21 in Orlando, FL. Live! 360 brings together five conferences, and the brightest minds in IT and Dev, to explore leading edge technologies and conquer current ones. More info:
SQL SERVER – GROUP BY Columns with XMLPATH – Comma Delimit Multiple Rows
This is one of the most popular question and I keep on getting again and again in email, Facebook and on social media. I have decided to write about it here in the blog so in future I can directly give a reference. Here is the question – there is…
Read More
SQL SERVER – UPDATE FROM SELECT Statement with Condition
An email from an old college friend landed my mailbox about UPDATE FROM SELECT Statement with Condition:
“Hey Pinal,”
I have two tables. I want to conditionally update data in one table based on another table. How can I do that. I have included sample scripts and an image for further explanation.