Advice I Like: Ranch Rules
Leave a gate behind you the way you first found it. – from Excellent Advice for Living This is a ranch rule. Leave something as you found it. If...
2026-02-02 (first published: 2026-01-30)
14 reads
Blog Posts
Don’t Miss Out – SQL Server Query Tuning Fundamentals Starts Next Monday!
Next Monday, February 9, 2026, my one-day live online training SQL Server Query Tuning Fundamentals will take place! This hands-on session is designed to help DBAs, developers, and consultants...
2026-02-02
11 reads
Fix Slow, Bloated MSDB: Purge Old History And Add Missing Indexes
Fix Slow, Bloated MSDB: Purge Old History And Add Missing Indexes
After tempdb, msdb is often the most abused system database, growing unchecked until it tanks...
2026-02-02 (first published: 2026-01-30)
21 reads
Flyway Tips: AI Helps with Commit Messages
At Redgate, we’re experimenting with how AI can help developers and DBAs become better at their jobs. Everyone is asking for AI, as well as the ability to turn...
2026-02-02 (first published: 2026-01-23)
72 reads
Monday Monitor Tips: SQL Auditing Preview
One of the features we advocates have been advocating for is a better way to track security changes in your SQL Server instances. The first slice of this work...
2026-02-02
10 reads
PASS Data Community Summit 2025 Recap
This is long overdue but life and distractions happened. It’s been a little over two months since I returned home from PASS Summit 2025.
2026-02-02 (first published: 2026-01-26)
12 reads
Reality (And Limits) of Instant File Initialization for Transaction Logs in SQL Server 2022
Reality (And Limits) of Instant File Initialization for Transaction Logs in SQL Server 2022
If you’ve spent any time tuning SQL Server, you’ve probably heard “Turn...
2026-02-02 (first published: 2026-01-27)
32 reads
SQL Server 2025 CU1 Fixes the Docker Desktop AVX Issue on macOS
Microsoft fixed the AVX instruction issue in SQL Server 2025 CU1. The container now runs successfully on Docker Desktop for macOS without needing OrbStack.
2026-02-02
8 reads
Startup scripts in SQL Server containers
I was messing around performing investigative work on a pod running SQL Server 2025 in Kubernetes the other day and noticed something…the sqlservr process is no longer PID 1...
2026-02-02 (first published: 2026-01-23)
130 reads
Three Ways to Use Snowflake Data in Microsoft Fabric
Organizations increasingly want Snowflake and Microsoft Fabric to coexist without duplicating data or fragmenting governance. With Fabric OneLake and open table formats like Iceberg and Delta, there are now...
2026-02-02 (first published: 2026-01-29)
49 reads
Blogs
Don’t Miss Out – SQL Server Query Tuning Fundamentals Starts Next Monday!
Next Monday, February 9, 2026, my one-day live online training SQL Server Query Tuning...
Monday Monitor Tips: SQL Auditing Preview
By Steve Jones
One of the features we advocates have been advocating for is a better way...
SQL Server 2025 CU1 Fixes the Docker Desktop AVX Issue on macOS
Microsoft fixed the AVX instruction issue in SQL Server 2025 CU1. The container now...
Forums
25 Years of SQL Server Central
Comments posted to this topic are about the item 25 Years of SQL Server...
The Decoded Value
Comments posted to this topic are about the item The Decoded Value
Deploying SQL Server Developer Edition in Kubernetes: A Cost-Effective Alternative to RDS
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Deploying SQL Server Developer Edition...
Question of the Day
The Decoded Value
In SQL Server 2025, what is returned from this code:
DECLARE @message VARCHAR(50) = 'Hello SQL Server 2025!'; DECLARE @encoded VARCHAR(MAX); SET @encoded = BASE64_ENCODE(CAST(@message AS VARBINARY(1000))); SELECT BASE64_DECODE(@encoded)See possible answers