I've recently moved house from Massachusetts to Oklahoma. Long story. Anyway, sitting in my new office looking out at the trees, some of the leaves are starting to change. Ah, Fall. Lovely Autumn colors... WAIT! Actually, something else is going on. Only a few trees are changing color. Word is, we've been a little dry […]
2021-09-04
175 reads
After 23 years in one place, I'm pulling up stakes and moving. We're selling our house in one state in the US and we're buying a house in another state about half a continent away. To say it's a stressful and exhausting process is an understatement. The worst part is that no one has defined […]
2021-07-24
196 reads
This is the Fourth of July weekend here in the US when we celebrate the birth of the country based on the publication of the Declaration of Independence. For those who don't know, this celebration mostly consists of fireworks and outdoor cookouts. However, at our house we've always tried to do a little bit more […]
2021-07-03
126 reads
I've just finished up teaching at an in-person event, the first in fifteen months. It was the SQL Server and Azure SQL Conference (formerly known as SQLIntersection). The event organizers did a great job making it into a hybrid event, where we presented both in-person and virtually, so that people could choose if they wanted […]
2021-06-12
120 reads
There was a recent discussion in the forums here at SQL Server Central regarding the difficulties presented by the constantly shifting technology landscape. The core question was, how on earth do you master stuff? Especially, how do you master things when they're both new and constantly changing? Honestly, you don't. I mean, you can, but […]
2021-05-08
234 reads
A while back I wrote an editorial about how I believed the data community would easily continue after the PASS organization was no more. I'm pleased as punch to be able to report that I was right. Not because I enjoy being right (I do, who doesn't), but because I care very much for the […]
2021-04-18
91 reads
I read this great little blog post called "Trying to Notice What's Missing." It's not real long and it's worth your time. If you'd like a TLDR, the author points out how in-person meetings at conferences resulted in enhancements to open source software due to superior, in-person, communication. Strictly on a personal level, I miss […]
2021-04-17
140 reads
I've always been fascinated by history. For a long time growing up, my plan was to become a history teacher. While that didn't work out, I've continued to read quite a lot of history, both popular and scholarly works. One of the things about it that I find most fascinating are the stories. History is […]
2021-03-06
41 reads
Many of us grew up with one version of Cinderella or another. The step child that's horribly mistreated by the new parent is a scary story. In the Disney version, everything works out fine. However, if you read some of the original Grimm versions of the story (and there is more than one version), not […]
2021-01-30
62 reads
As I type this, I've got my right leg propped up on a stool. That's because if I sit for any length of time with the knee bent, I have a great deal of pain on standing. Seems there's something horribly wrong with my knee. I still don't know what yet. I've had an MRI […]
2021-01-09
57 reads
I wanted to figure out how big (or approximately how big) my dump file...
This month, I prompted bloggers to discuss whether good enough is perfect. Thank you to all...
By Steve Jones
Recently a customer asked if SQL Compare and SQL Data Compare can be used...
I have a table. Structure in script below. I have to compare and see...
I have an application team that is insisting on daily (and for some, weekly)...
i see this in the definition of a linked server on our wh sql...
What does this code return in SSMS 20 from SQL Server 2019?
select '|' + CHAR(0)+'abc' + '|';See possible answers