Everything you should know about the SQL Server Resource database
Every SQL Server instance contains a database that most people never query, never back up, and never […]
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My Wish List for SQL Server Performance Features
There are a lot of shopping days left before Christmas, and even more before the next version of […]
Why most enterprise AI projects fail – and how to ...
Today’s AI landscape is characterized by a gap. While it is often relatively easy to reach the […]
SSMS v22.4.1: Copilot is GA. So What’s It Do Right ...
Copilot in SSMS has two parts. Usually people focus on the pop-out Copilot chat window, and that’s useful […]
Protecting Transparent Data Encryption Databases
I have gotten a lot of email questions recently about TDE and SQL Server, specifically around the encryption […]
DevOps anti-patterns: what they are and how to avoid them
In software development, DevOps promises faster delivery, increased collaboration, and more reliable deployments. However, many teams unknowingly […]
[Video] Office Hours in North Bay, Ontario
I’m up in North Bay, Ontario, Canada for the 2026 Can-Am Curling Cup run by Aaron Bertrand – […]
How to migrate from on-prem to the cloud: uncovering legacy ...
In this article, Pat Wright explains how to identify hidden risks in legacy applications before moving to […]
Updated First Responder Kit and Consultant Toolkit for March 2026
For the last few years, I’ve slowed the First Responder Kit release down to once per quarter. It […]
How to determine the last value used by a sequence ...
I’ve been a fan of sequences ever since they were added in SQL Server 2012. Prior to […]
Get Free AI Query Advice in PasteThePlan.
At PasteThePlan.com, you can paste execution plans into your browser, then send a link to someone else to […]
The Curious Case of… no buffer pool memory and no ...
Jonathan had a client issue recently where SQL Server’s buffer pool had been forced down to a ridiculously […]
Why the cloud is not a disaster recovery strategy for ...
When AWS stumbled – twice – in October 2025, many teams discovered that “we are in the […]
[Video] Office Hours, Standing in the Ocean Edition
My tripod is probably never gonna recover from the salt water, but the water was so nice that […]
Using Claude Code with SQL Server and Azure SQL DB
Let’s start with a 7-minute demo video – I didn’t edit this down because I want you to […]
How to use refresh tokens in ASP.NET Core – a ...
Today’s applications require robust security to ensure your application’s sensitive and confidential information is not compromised. This […]
Row-Level Security Can Slow Down Queries. Index For It.
The official Azure SQL Dev’s Corner blog recently wrote about how to enable soft deletes in Azure SQL […]
Logical Reads Aren’t Repeatable on Columnstore Indexes. (sigh)
Sometimes I really hate my job. Forever now, FOREVER, it’s been a standard thing where I can say, […]
The SQL Server Transaction Log, Part 3: The Circular Nature ...
(This post first appeared on SQLperformance.com four years ago as part of a blog series, before that website […]
IDENTITY vs SEQUENCE in SQL Server – which should you ...
Auto-generated numeric keys are everywhere in relational databases. In SQL Server, two features dominate this space: IDENTITY columns […]
[Video] Office Hours: Back in the Bahamas Edition
Yes, I’m back on a cruise ship with another 360 degree video. Lest you think I’m being wildly […]
My thoughts on Redgate’s 2026 State of the Database Landscape ...
I always really look forward to reading Redgate’s annual State of the Database Landscape report, and 2026 […]
SQL101: Indexing Strategies for SQL Server Performance
One of the easiest ways to increase query performance in SQL Server is to make sure that it […]
Who’s Hiring Database People? March 2026 Edition
Is your company hiring for a database position as of March 2026? Do you wanna work with the […]
How to secure MySQL and PostgreSQL in the world of ...
Are you feeling the impact of AI in your daily work? No? Your database might say otherwise. […]
The secret life of database keys
There’s not much to database keys, right? When you build a new table, you add a column […]
March Madness: $699 Blackbelt Bundle!
Spring is already in the air here in Redmond so time for March Madness! Hundreds of dollars lower-than-ever […]
The Tech Consulting Market Isn’t Looking Good.
After hearing the same dire news from several of my consulting friends, I put a poll up on […]
[Video] Office Hours in the Vegas Home Office
Let’s hang out in my home office in Vegas and go through your top-voted questions from https://pollgab.com/room/brento. The […]
Why disabling the SQL Server sa account still matters in ...
Every few years, someone asks a familiar question: do we really still need to disable the sa account in […]
I Don’t Take Private Questions at Pre-Conference Classes.
When I first started teaching database sessions at conferences, I noticed a pattern. When I finished the session, […]
The Curious Case of… finding long IAM chains
In the previous Curious Case I described an issue Jonathan had at a client with very long IAM […]
10 Signs It Was Time to Hire Me
You’ve been reading my blog, watching my videos, and maybe even taking some of my training classes. You’ve […]
Learning PostgreSQL with Grant: Data Storage
If you’re hosting your databases within a Virtual Machine (VM) or on some big iron, one of […]
SQL101: Introduction to SQL Server Transactions
(The original version of this post first appeared on the now-deleted SentryOne blog at the start of 2022.) […]
How to optimize planned availability group failovers in SQL Server
We often perform planned availability group failovers in SQL Server for maintenance, patching, upgrades, and even hardware […]
The SQL Server Transaction Log, Part 2: Log Architecture
(This post first appeared on SQLperformance.com four years ago as part of a blog series, before that website […]
[Video] Office Hours: Ask Me Anything About Microsoft SQL Server ...
Want to ask your own questions or pick the ones I discuss? Head over to https://pollgab.com/room/brento to get […]
How to safely use MySQL 8.0 post end-of-life (and alternatives ...
Regardless of how popular a specific software appliance is, particular versions of it are inevitably phased out […]
Achievement Unlocked: One Year Sober
(This is from the Insider Newsletter that I sent out earlier today…) Back in early 2023 I wrote […]
How to Help Copilot Encourage Good Database Standards
I know a lot of y’all lag behind on upgrading SSMS, but v22.3 just introduced something that you […]
The Curious Case of… occasional query failure on a tiny ...
This is a case that happened on a client system last year: occasionally a common query on a […]
SQL Server Long-Running Query Detection: How to Find and Monitor ...
Monitoring and alerting can be overwhelming tasks, especially for those new to the world of managing production […]
How to Find and Monitor Slow/Long-Running Queries in SQL Server
Monitoring and alerting can be overwhelming tasks, especially for those new to the world of managing production […]
New course and bundle: SQL Server 2025 Vector Search in ...
(TL;DR; Video trailer for the new course is here.) Joe’s next course, AIVSP: Vector Search in Practice, is now […]
[Video] Office Hours at Atlantis, Bahamas
It’s an overcast afternoon at Atlantis Paradise Island in the Bahamas, so since I can’t go into the […]
Python is good, but not perfect – here are 10 ...
Four years ago I wrote a blog on this site explaining why Python is better than C# […]
Updated First Responder Kit and Consultant Toolkit for February 2026
Two big sets of news this month! The Consultant Toolkit now supports imports to a database so you […]
SQL Server 2025 CREATE EXTERNAL MODEL and AI_GENERATE_EMBEDDINGS Commands Explained
When SQL Server 2025 was announced, Bob Ward mentioned that there would be some new commands for […]
[Video] Office Hours Aboard the Groove Cruise
On the world’s largest floating electronic dance music festival, I took your top-voted database questions from https://pollgab.com/room/brento. Here’s […]