Old Reliable Still Matters If you’ve been around SQL Server for a while, you’ve heard of Failover Cluster Instances (FCIs). They’ve been part of SQL’s high availability toolbox since...
2025-09-19 (first published: 2025-09-03)
208 reads
It’s not glamorous, but it works In a world where shiny new HA/DR features get all the press, there’s one SQL Server technology that just keeps doing its job....
2025-09-15 (first published: 2025-08-27)
210 reads
If you’re responsible for a SQL Server instance, you need working, consistent backups. Not just a .bak file here and there, but a plan that runs automatically and covers...
2025-08-20
23 reads
Corruption isn’t a “maybe someday” problem – what you need to do now. Stop. Don’t panic. You just ran DBCC CHECKDB for the first time in a while (or...
2025-08-13
21 reads
“SQL Server is slow.” We’ve all heard it. But that doesn’t always mean SQL Server is the problem. And “slow” means nothing without context and ability to verify. More...
2025-08-27 (first published: 2025-08-06)
500 reads
If you’re a DBA, sysadmin, IT manager, or Accidental DBA, you’ve probably seen SQL Server’s built-in Maintenance Plans. They live right there in SSMS under the “Management” node, quietly...
2025-08-15 (first published: 2025-07-30)
417 reads
The SQL Server installer has gotten better: tempdb configuration, MAXDOP, and even max memory can now be configured during setup. But don’t be fooled: there’s still a post-install checklist...
2025-07-23
65 reads
Why You Shouldn’t Overlook This Quiet but Critical SQL Server Setting If you’ve ever upgraded a SQL Server instance and something just broke in your application, chances are...
2025-07-16
452 reads
Settings That Could Be Hurting Your Performance If you’ve ever created a new SQL Server database and just left the default settings alone, you’re not alone. Microsoft provides a...
2025-07-09
101 reads
A Goldmine of Clues You Might Be Ignoring SQL Server’s Error Logs often get overlooked, until something breaks. But if you know how to use them, they can tell...
2025-07-02
74 reads
By Steve Jones
If someone is trying to convince you it’s not a pyramid scheme, it’s a...
By Steve Jones
I was looking back at my year and decided to see if SQL Prompt...
In the era of cloud-native applications, Kubernetes has become the default standard platform for...
Hi experts, I have a 3+ TB database on a 2019 sql server which...
Comments posted to this topic are about the item The North Star for the...
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Multiple Escape Characters
In SQL Server 2025, I run this code (in a database with the appropriate collation):
SELECT UNISTR('%*3041%*308A%*304C%*3068 and good night', '%*') AS 'A Classic';
What is returned? See possible answers