SQL Server Tips, Articles and Training

SQL Server resources to solve real world problems for DBAs, Developers and BI Pros - all for free. Check out tips, articles, scripts, videos, tutorials, live events and more all related to SQL Server.

Advanced Performance Tuning for Microsoft SQL Server

No matter where you run your SQL Server® instances—on-premises, in a virtual machine, or in an Azure SQL Database Managed instance—the challenge is the same. How do you ensure you get optimum performance?

Author: Ash Recksiedler

Solve SQL Server Agent Job Dependencies with Data Driven Solution

In this article we look at how to create a table driven solution to executing SQL Server Agent jobs.

Author: Ray Barley

How to Research a Company for a Job Interview

Prior to an interview you should invest 15+ minutes to do some research on the organization using these 10 sources outlined in this article.

Author: Erica Woods

Unable to delete Azure Recovery Services Vault

In this article we walk through the steps you need to take to be able to delete an Azure Recovery Services vault after you have decommissioned SQL Server and the Azure VM.

Author: Mohammed Moinudheen

Power BI Table Based Row Level Security

In this article we look at how to control what data users can and cannot see in a Power BI report by utilizing a database table to control what a user can access.

Author: Scott Murray

Process Blob Files Automatically using an Azure Function with Blob Trigger

In this tip we will give an example of an Azure Function which will read a Json file from a blob container and write its contents to an Azure SQL Database table.

Author: Koen Verbeeck

Resume Reflection to Communicate Your Contributions

In this article we cover ten great questions to ask yourself before crafting your resume or making updates to your resume.

Author: Cate Murray

Learning PowerShell Core on Linux for the SQL Server DBA Part 2

This tip will walk you through installing the SQL Server PowerShell modules to start managing SQL Server on Linux. You will also explore the different SQL Server PowerShell cmdlets available on PowerShell Core on Linux.

Author: Edwin Sarmiento

How To Connect Remotely to SQL Server on an Azure Virtual Machine

In this article we look at how to configure remote SQL Server connectivity for Azure virtual machines.

Author: Vitor Montalvao

Calculate Relative Weeks in Power BI

In this tip we will explore how to generate the Relative Week Number using both SQL and DAX for Power BI reports.

Author: Aveek Das

Convert MS Access to SQL Server with Always Encrypted Database

In this article we cover code that allows you to migrate your database from MS Access to SQL Server and also use Always Encrypted columns.

Author: Mircea Dragan

SQL Server SET QUOTED_IDENTIFIER and SET ANSI_PADDING Proper Usage Examples

In this article we look at the impacts of using SET QUOTED_IDENTIFIER and SET ANSI_PADDING when working with SQL Server.

Author: Bhavesh Patel

SQL Server Table Size Report

In this article we look at a simple T-SQL script you can use to get space used and free space for all user tables in a SQL Server database.

Author: Eli Leiba

Enable Always Encrypted with Secure Enclaves in SQL Server Management Studio

In this tip we walk through the steps of how to configure your SQL Server to enable Always Encrypted with Secure Enclaves.

Author: Filip Holub

Making SQL Server Function Changes Backwards Compatible

In this article we look at how you can modify a SQL Server user defined function's set of parameters without breaking other code in your database that calls the function.

Author: Aaron Bertrand

Script to Delete SQL Server Data in Batches

In this tip we cover a T-SQL script that allows you to batch delete older data from tables and save the deleted records to an archive table.

Author: Alejandro Cobar

Deploy SSIS Catalog to Azure Cloud - Part 1

This article covers how create an Azure SSIS integration runtime engine that uses a SSIS catalog residing in an Azure SQL database.

Author: John Miner

Weighted vs Simple Moving Average with SQL Server T-SQL Code

This tip presents T-SQL code for computing two different types of weighted moving averages for time series data.

Author: Rick Dobson

SQL Server Database Diagram Index was Outside the Bounds of the Array

In this article we look at the SSMS database diagram error index was outside the bounds of the array and how to fix this issue.

Author: Sergey Gigoyan

Selecting a Simple Random Sample from a SQL Server Database

Sampling is the science and art of controlling and measuring the reliability of useful statistical information through the theory of probability, this tip covers: sampling techniques, and sampling distributions.

Author: Nai Biao Zhou

How to Maintain State in a SQL Server Agent Job

In this tip I will demonstrate a simple way of implementing state for a SQL Agent job to allow a job to stop and restart where it left off.

Author: Ray Barley

Quest Foglight for Databases

Quest Foglight for Databases allows you to proactively monitor the health and performance of your cross-platform databases including SQL Server.

Author: Greg Robidoux

Introduction to PowerShell Core on Linux for the SQL Server DBA Part 1

In this tip we look at leveraging PowerShell Core on Linux together with the SQL Server PowerShell modules and dbatools to manage SQL Server.

Author: Edwin Sarmiento

SP_WhoIsActive Data Collection and Analysis

In this article we look at how to schedule the collection of the results from sp_whoisactive and store the data in a table for future analysis.

Author: Jeffrey Yao

Execution Plan in Azure Data Studio

In this tip we look at how to generate estimated and actual execution plans for SQL Server when using Azure Data Studio.

Author: Eduardo Pivaral

Power BI Calculate Cumulative Total by Week Within Quarter

In this article we look at how to visualize data in Power BI by week of quarter. We walk through the steps on how this can be done in a Power BI report.

Author: Aveek Das

Load Data Lake files into Azure Synapse Analytics Using Azure Data Factory

Azure Data Factory's Copy activity as a sink allows for three different copy methods for loading data into Azure Synapse Analytics. In this article, I will explore the three methods: Polybase, Copy Command and Bulk insert using a dynamic pipeline parameterized process.

Author: Ron L'Esteve