T-SQL in SQL Server 2025: Substring Changes
This article takes a look at the changes in SQL Server 2025 to the SUBSTRING function.
2025-11-07
9,459 reads
Articles
SQL Server CROSS APPLY and OUTER APPLY Helpful Examples
Microsoft introduced the APPLY operator in SQL Server 2005. Similar to a JOIN, it allows correlation between two table expressions. The key difference between the JOIN and APPLY operators is when you have a table-valued expression on the right side and want to evaluate it for each row from the left table expression. Since they produce similar results, when do you choose an APPLY versus a JOIN?
2025-11-07
Create and Read the Analysis Services Flight Recorder
This article explains how to customize an extended events session in SQL Server Analysis Services for auditing and monitoring
2025-11-05
1,554 reads
Power BI TMDL View: Benefits, Security Risks & Best Practices
The Tabular Model Definition Language (TMDL) provides a simpler way of defining Power BI Semantic Models. Unlike the JSON-based Tabular Model Scripting Language (TMSL), TMDL uses a more accessible tab-based format for specifying DAX measures, relationships, and Power Query code.
2025-11-05
Create an HTML Report on the Status of SQL Server Agent Jobs
Learn how to query your jobs to produce a report that is formatted to make consuming the data easy for DBAs.
2025-11-03 (first published: 2023-05-03)
4,392 reads
Which Should You Use: VARCHAR or NVARCHAR?
You’re building a new table or adding a column, and you wanna know which datatype to use: VARCHAR or NVARCHAR?
2025-11-03
Regular Expressions in SQL Server 2025
This article examines the new regular expression functions added to T-SQL in SQL Server 2025.
2025-10-31
16,375 reads
Static Versus Dynamic Bulk Insert Imports of Multi-File Datasets
There are numerous use cases for multi-file imports of CSV files into a SQL Server table:
2025-10-31
2025-10-29
Docker Advice for SQL Server in Production
Introduction Nowadays, with the widespread adoption of microservices across major companies, using Windows Server to host SQL Server remains the gold standard. However, there are still certain scenarios—or even specific environments—where deploying SQL Server in containerized setups using the Docker engine becomes necessary. In this article, I will offer practical tips based on my hands-on […]
2025-10-27
4,409 reads
Blogs
Rolling Back a Broken Release
By Steve Jones
We had an interesting discussion about deployments in databases and how you go forward...
A bespoke reporting solution doesn’t have to cost the earth
By ChrisJenkins
You could be tolerating limited reporting because there isn’t an off the shelf solution...
Presenting with Visual Studio Code
A while back I wrote a quick post on setting up key mappings in...
Forums
Lots of FKs
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Real-time On-prem SQL Server Data in Excel – Over the Internet
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Can You Let Go of Determinism
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Question of the Day
Lots of FKs
In SQL Server 2025, what are the most outgoing and incoming FK references a table can have?
See possible answers