SQL Server 2025 CU1 is Off to a Rough Start
SQL Server 2025 Cumulative Update 1 came out last week, and I was kinda confused by the release notes. They described a couple dozen fixed issues, and the list seemed really short for a CU1. However, the more I dug into it, the weirder things got. For …
Thoughts on PASS’s Bankruptcy, Redgate’s Acquisition, and Private Equity
A private equity (PE) company recently acquired the majority of Redgate Software, the current owners of the PASS Data Community Summit and SQLServerCentral. Everybody in tech has private equity stories, some good, some terribad. Private equity hands mo …
SQL ConstantCare® Population Report: Winter 2026
It’s time for our quarterly update of our SQL ConstantCare® population report, showing how quickly (or slowly) folks adopt new versions of SQL Server. In short, people are replacing SQL Server 2016 and 2017 with 2022! SQL Server 2025: 0% (but it’s 10 s …
Announcing the 2026 Data Professional Salary Survey Results, And They’re Great!
The results are in! You can download the raw data in Excel for all 10 years and do some slicing and dicing to find out whether you’re underpaid, overpaid, or what it looks like for folks who are out there looking for work. This year, I added a couple o …
Common SQL Server Problems: Invalid Length
This is another part in my series designed to offer guidance around common issues in SQL Server. Today, let’s talk about the all-too-common error: invalid length. What Is the Invalid Length Error in SQL Server? Msg 537, Level 16, State 3 Invalid length …
SQLBits Session Voting is Open Now! Wanna See My Sessions at Bits?
I’d love to come over and speak at SQLBits this April, but for that to happen, the organizers need to hear from you that you’d come see my sessions. If you’re going to Bits, you’ll need a login, and then you can vote on these sessions – but only if you …
Vibe Optimizing Power BI
Derrière ce titre accrocheur, cet article rapide explore comment optimiser Power BI à la fois en termes de performance et d’expérience utilisateur, tout en présentant un nouvel outil puissant issu de la Microsoft Fabric Toolbox : DAX Performance Tuner …
Exploiting SQL Server Date Correlation Optimization: How Tampered Backups Enable Cross‑Database Data Leaks
This article is a follow-up to SQL Server DBaaS Vulnerability: Decrypting System Code & Exfiltrating User Data, in which we saw some vulnerabilities that affected pretty much all DBaaS offerings available in the cloud. Now, we’ll look at another vu …
New Year’s Task: Quick, Easy Prep for a Raise
You’re busy, so I’ll keep this short. Several months from now, you’re gonna have a salary review. Your manager is going to ask what you’ve been up to, and you’re not going to have a lot of great answers. Copilot isn’t tracking your successes for you. T …
Database Development with AI in 2026
This seems like the appropriate first BrentOzar.com blog post in the year 2026, eh? In the PollGab question queue for Office Hours, MyRobotOverlordAsks asked a question that merited a full blog post answer: My company announced during some AI training …
How to Create a SQL Server Linked Server to Oracle 26ai Free
Easily move data from SQL Server to Oracle 26ai Free with this step-by-step guide. Learn how to set up a linked server, configure FREEPDB1 and avoid common issues. I recently had to migrate some data from SQL Server to Oracle 26ai Free edition. I thoug …
SQL Server Regular Expression Performance and Guidelines
SQL Server 2025 introduces regular expression (regex) functions to the TSQL language. You could do this in previous versions with user defined CLR functions, but the 2025 functions are natively available and supported by Microsoft. I prefer native func …
Are You Looking for Work? Underpaid? Overpaid? Let’s Find Out.
Every year, I run a salary survey to help folks have better discussions with their managers about salaries, benefits, and career progression. This year, the survey is for unemployed folks, too! The first question has a new option for “Unemployed (and l …
Your Favorite Posts From This Year
Reading is fundamental, and fundamentally, here are the 2025 blog posts that y’all read the most this year. (This list doesn’t include the most popular timeless posts overall.) 10. Free Spring Training Webcasts – I’ve noticed that people have near-zero …
How to View SQL Server Object Code Easily with sp_showcode
sp_helptext has served SQL Server DBAs for years, but it has its very obvious – and many – limitations: broken lines, missing triggers, no help with encrypted objects, to name just a few. That’s where sp_showcode comes in… Why DBAs Need Better Code Ret …