New Survey: Why Upgrade MS SQL Server?
Take this survey for a chance at a $20 gift certificate from Amazon. Give your reasons to upgrade and your insight on performance issues.
2005-11-01
4,569 reads
Articles
SQL Rescue Review
Having a good tool to read your SQL Server transaction log can be a lifesaver, or a job saver. RegGate Software, maker of a number of useful SQL Server utilities has a log reader and Grany Fritchey takes a look at this product and how it might work in your environment.
2005-11-01
10,421 reads
Visual Defrag for SQL Server Discount
How often do you check your SQL Server tables for fragmentation? How often do you defragment them? This is one of those technologies that has been available for disks for a long time, but now is here for SQL Server. Norb Technologies is offering a discount to the SQLServerCentral.com community on this product.
2005-11-01
4,111 reads
Calling COM From T-SQL
One of the lesser used features of SQL Server is the ability to access the functionality in various DLLs using a COM interface. Dinesh Asanka brings us a basic article with a few examples in how you can work with COM components from inside SQL Server 2000.
2005-10-31
12,526 reads
Loving to Hate the Data Administrator
You can just hear it now: At the table down the hall, there’s a group of people having, (as it seems to you) yet another academic discussion on the merits of third-normal form and the structure of primary keys. You’ve heard many discussions like this before — it all seems so pointless. After all, doesn’t it just boil down to “create table” commands and a bunch of DDL? You mastered all that in your first DBA class. What could be so hard?
2005-10-31
3,688 reads
Microsoft SQL Server Cluster Vs Standby Server
Building a highly available system is hard. This short white paper from Sonasoft shows some of the differences between a cluster and their standby server product.
2005-10-28
10,572 reads
Simplify the Creation of XML from SQL Server Data
SQL Server 2000 had extensions built in to allow you to work with XML data, however, most installations did not work with it. XML has proven that it is a very powerful way of transmitting and working with data, but creating it from relational data has proven to be difficult. New author Hugh Lynch, CTO of Restricted Stock Systems, Inc. brin gs us a method for easily creating XML from your SQL Servers.
2005-10-27
10,484 reads
SQL Server 2005 Secures Your Data Like Never Before
Right out of the box, SQL Server 2005 does not install many of its services (such as SQL Server Reporting Services) or does not have features turned on by default (.NET integration), thereby reducing the attack vectors that hackers could use to compromise your data security.
2005-10-27
2,024 reads
Accurate Numeric Identifiers: Using Verhoeff's Method for Check Digits
Check digits–not to be confused with checksums–are often added to numeric identifiers such as customer and product numbers to reduce the chance of incorrect entries. Sequences of numbers are notoriously easy to mistype, and constraints alone generally won't do the job. In this excellent article, Lynn Fields shows you how to implement the "Cadillac" of check digit methods–the Verhoeff Dihedral Group.
2005-10-26
2,735 reads
Retention - Keeping Your Job
The fourth part of Steve Jones series looking at employee retention. In this article, he examines a few techniques that can help the employee ensure their own retention.
2005-10-25
12,683 reads
Blogs
Ramblings about data communities and your contributions, no excuses
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I have been active in the data community throughout my career. I have met...
SQL Server Journey till 2025 (brief)
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Quick Summary for Microsoft SQL Server till 2025, I am fortunate to be part...
Building Power BI Reports: Desktop vs Fabric
By James Serra
Why this comparison feels confusing If you’re a Power BI report author who’s just...
Forums
Azure SQL Database | CREATE EVENT SESSION [Blocking_Capture] ON DATABASE
Hello, Is there a way in Azure SQL Database to change the 'Blocking Process...
Having a Little Fun at SQL Server Central
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Having a Little Fun at...
Designing SQL Server Pipelines That Are Ready for AI Before You Actually Need AI
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Designing SQL Server Pipelines That...
Question of the Day
String Similarity I
On SQL Server 2025, when I run this, what is returned?
SELECT EDIT_DISTANCE_SIMILARITY('SQL Server', 'MySQL') See possible answers