When, and when not, to use LLMs in your data pipeline
“Let’s add LLMs to the pipeline” has become a familiar refrain in modern data teams, but turning that idea into production reality is where things often go wrong. While large language models can unlock powerful capabilities, they’re just as likely to i …
Updated First Responder Kit and Consultant Toolkit for April 2026
If there was ever a release you should skip for reliability reasons, it’s this one. There’s a lot of AI-edited code in here. I’m really only putting it out there because I want to let early adopters start playing around with a few new things: sp_BlitzI …
Announcing the Panel Lineup for My SQLBits Cloud Discussion
At SQLBits, I’m hosting a panel discussion called 20 Years of the Cloud: What Changed, What Didn’t, and What’s Next. I’m excited to share the panel lineup – all of the links go to their LinkedIn profiles: Amy Abel – aka the Database Reliability Spotter …
Can SQL Server 2025’s REGEXP_SPLIT_TO_TABLE fix STRING_SPLIT in T-SQL?
String splitting in T-SQL has historically been inefficient and limited. While STRING_SPLIT improved things, its constraints remained – until now, that is. SQL Server 2025 introduced the REGEXP_SPLIT_TO_TABLE function, offering a more flexible solution …
Data manipulation techniques in esProc SPL: a complete guide
In this article, part of the “Moving from Python to esProc” series, we’ll look at esProc SPL’s data manipulation capabilities compared to Python. As you may already know, real-world data rarely arrives in a clean, analysis-ready format. You’ll frequent …
SQL Server 2016 Support Ends in 90 Days.
On July 14, 2026, Microsoft’s extended support ends for SQL Server 2016. Brent Ozar Unlimited circa 2016 They will offer Extended Security Updates that you can buy for 3 more years, either through Azure or your licensing partner. The price is stunning: …
Announcing More Improvements to PasteThePlan.com
Need to share an execution plan, like on forums or on Stack Overflow, and you wanna get their advice as quickly as possible? Paste the XML into PasteThePlan.com and you get a link that you can share to anyone with your plan’s details. The user interfac …
Cross-database ownership chaining in SQL Server: security risks, behavior, and privilege escalation explained
A dangerous privilege-escalation path exists in SQL Server when cross-database ownership chaining, system database defaults, and overly permissive permissions are combined. Under these conditions, a low-privilege authenticated user can escalate to sysa …
SQLBits Bonus: Free Fundamentals + Mastering Bundle for My Training Day Attendees
Good news! My training day workshop, Dev/Prod Demon Hunters, was sold out, but Bits just moved me into the auditorium with way more capacity and space for you to stretch out. Plus, there’s power and tables at each seat. Feel free to bring your charger, …
Data analysis in Python and esProc SPL compared – what are the differences, and which is best?
In this article, part 3 of the “Moving from Python to esProc SPL” series, you’ll discover the key differences between Python and SPL. Whether you’re considering adding SPL to your skillset or simply curious about alternative approaches to data analysis …
[Video] Office Hours: Microsoft Database Q&A
Let’s go through a LOT of your top-voted questions from https://pollgab.com/room/brento on a VERY early Saturday morning. 00:00 Start 01:52 DBAInAction: Hi Brent Microsoft just announced Automatic Index Compaction for Azure SQL and Fabric. do you see t …
Everything you need to know about MongoBleed (CVE-2025-14847)
MongoBleed (CVE-2025-14847) was defined as “the vulnerability of the year.” In this article, find out what it is, why it’s dangerous, and if (and when) you should care about it. But first, some context. Back in April 2014, a vulnerability in the TLS ex …
Contest: Make the Comments Look Like My ChatGPT History.
Let’s have some fun. Put yourself in the frame of mind of the fella who writes this blog. What do you think I send to ChatGPT? In the comments, write prompts that you think I’m sending to the giant robots. In one week, I’ll go through ’em and pick my f …
How Multi-Column Statistics Work
The short answer: in the real world, only the first column works. When SQL Server needs data about the second column, it builds its own stats on that column instead (assuming they don’t already exist), and uses those two statistics together – but they’ …
How to minimize downtime in a cloud migration
Pat Wright details how to plan cloud migration with minimal downtime. Learn key cutover strategies, testing methods, and critical questions to avoid data loss and system failure. Whenever I start a migration, one of the primary questions is: “how much …