Database Architecture Considerations for Implementing Content Moderation Services
Fellow SQL Server professionals, I wanted to share some insights and start a discussion about the database design challenges we face when implementing Content Moderation Services in enterprise applications. As more organizations build user-generated co …
Migrate from Linux to Windows with Availability Groups
We have an SQL Server 2019 server running on Linux Ubuntu, and we want to migrate to Windows for its user-friendliness, software and hardware compatibility, and readily supportiveness. To do that, we’re going to use a read-scale cross-platform Availabi …
Want Me to Train You & Your Coworkers Privately?
Your company doesn’t want to send you off to conferences or training classes in other cities. You’ve looked around locally, but the local options seem to be irrelevant to your needs. It’s generic stuff like how to pass certification classes, or boot ca …
Unlocking Interoperability: A Guide to Foreign Data Wrappers in PostgreSQL and Aurora PostgreSQL AWS RDS
Unlocking Interoperability: A Guide to Foreign Data Wrappers in PostgreSQL and Aurora PostgreSQL AWS RDS As a database professional, I often encounter scenarios where data is fragmented across various systems. In today’s distributed IT landscape, it’s …
Microsoft Fabric Has a New Service Status Page.
I’ve been pretty vocal here on the blog and on social media about the reliability problems with Microsoft Fabric. Today, I’ve got good news: Microsoft released a new Fabric status page and a known issues page, something that really does take guts given …
How to Use the New PRODUCT() Function in SQL Server 2025
With each version of SQL Server, there are always a few new features introduced that we applaud as we finally have access to a useful function that is already available elsewhere. Introduced in SQL Server 2025 CTP 1.3, the PRODUCT() function acts simil …
An Introduction To Database Diagrams
A database diagram clearly details the structure, relationships, and data rules in a database. It makes storing, retrieving and manipulating your data much simpler by ensuring your data’s consistency and organisation. This image belows shows a very sim …
When INCLUDE Columns Quietly Inflate Your Transaction Logs
Introduction As DBAs, we often think of INCLUDE columns as a harmless way to cover queries.They aren’t part of the index key, so it’s easy to assume that adding them wouldn’t have much impact. This thinking is dangerously incomplete. While INCLUDE colu …
Automating SQL Server Access Review
Tracking and reviewing user access in a SQL Server is an important tasks for any DBA. Unauthorized access or suspicious activity can comprise sensitive data, leading to business disruption, data breaches, or financial losses. In this article, we will l …
Incrementally Loading Data into Parquet with Python
Parquet is a column-oriented open-source storage format increasingly used for “big data” analytics. Yet despite its growing popularity as a native format for data lakes and data warehouses, tools for maintaining these environments remain scarce. Gettin …
Getting In: Running External Code in a Locked-Down PaaS
In Part 1, I explored how to bend SQL Server Agent to our will and peek under the hood of Azure SQL Managed Instance (SQL MI), gaining full OS access to the container (all without relying on xp_cmdshell). But once I realized what kind of door I’d opene …
How to Script Dimensions with data build tool (dbt) Macros
In previous articles we introduced the popular data engineering tool dbt (data build tool). We showed you how you can transform data in a Microsoft Fabric warehouse and how you can create tables with dbt models. We also demonstrated how you can use mac …
SQL ConstantCare® Population Report: Summer 2025
In this quarter’s update of our SQL ConstantCare® population report, showing how quickly (or slowly) folks adopt new versions of SQL Server, the data is very similar to last quarter. SQL Server 2019 still rules the market: SQL Server 2022: 24%, up from …
Dimensional Modeling Case Study, Part 4 – Dynamic Time Duration Dimension
Background In the first parts of this series (part 1, part 2, part 3), we explored dimension tables for age groups, calendar days, and dynamic banding at the day level. These covered time aspects that align with calendar structures—birthdates, admissio …
Updated First Responder Kit and Consultant Toolkit for July 2025: Independence Release
I’mma wax philosophical for a second: I love the open source nature of the First Responder Kit because it lets anybody, anywhere, diagnose database problems faster. If you’re a full time employee somewhere today, you owe it to yourself to use the FRK s …