Database Management & Programming News, Articles & Tutorials for Database Administrators

IBM Db2 for z/OS Useful Features 08/19/2019

Some of the more useful features of Db2 and SQL that have been delivered as new functionality are reviewed. Read on to learn more!

Deployment of SQL Server 2019 Always On Availability Groups on Azure AKS 08/12/2019

Step through a demonstration illustrating a sample deployment of SQL Server 2019 Always On Availability Group cluster on Azure AKS. You'll discover how to leverage the Microsoft Azure-hosted managed Kubernetes service referred to as AKS.

What is in My Database Backup File 08/05/2019

The Microsoft SQL Server team has made it easy for you to retrieve the information in a backup file by using a couple of commands. Read on to learn more!

Doing Analytics Against Critical Production Data 07/29/2019

Learn about several techniques which, taken together, allow you to configure your critical production data so that it is efficient (and non-disruptive) to execute analytical queries against it in real time. No need for a separate hybrid appliance, no need for a massive data warehouse. Read on....

Understanding the Odd Behavior for Timestamp with Time Zone Columns in Oracle 07/22/2019

Timestamp with Oracle Time Zone columns exhibits 'interesting' behavior with respect to unique indexes and primary keys.  Read on to see the issue and one possibly confusing way to handle it!

Graphical Tools for Accessing Azure Cosmos DB 07/15/2019

While the most common methods of interacting with Azure Cosmos DB involve programmatic access, there are times when you might want to perform a quick change or take a peek at some of documents in a collection. In such instances, it is typically more convenient to rely on the graphical interface. Fortunately, there are several options you can use to accomplish.

Executing Dynamic SQL Using sp_executesql 07/08/2019

Learn how to create and execute dynamic SQL in your SQL Server projects!

Polling and Survey Data Transparency 07/01/2019

Polls and surveys are increasing in use. If you are a DBA, developer, or data scientist, then it is good to understand how to structure your systems for transparency and proper use.

Introduction to Running SQL Server 2019 on Kubernetes 06/23/2019

The release of SQL Server 2019 further extends the ability to host SQL Server instances on Linux, including running Docker-based SQL Server images on Kubernetes clusters. This latest release further extends the multi-platform capabilities by allowing for Kubernetes-based deployments of SQL Server Always On Availability Groups, delivering increased level of resiliency. Read on to learn more about the basic characteristics of these deployments!

The Demise of the DBA 06/17/2019

Today most of the tasks done by traditional DBAs are performed by artificial intelligence systems or the database itself. With so few important tasks left to perform, are DBAs really needed anymore?

New Preview of SQL Server Management Studio Available for Download 12/06/2018

On September 24^th Microsoft released the first Community Technical Preview for SQL Server 2019, which was CTP2.0. At the same time Microsoft pushed out a new preview for SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) known as version 18. Now is the time to download this new preview!

SQL Server 2019 Community Technical Preview (CTP) 2.1 is Available Now 12/03/2018

Microsoft announced the release or CTP 2.1 for SQL Server 2019. This is the second CTP released for SQL Server 2019, and it has lots of new exciting features, like " UDF inlining". Read on to find out more!

How Big is Your Transaction Log? 10/01/2018

If you are not managing the transaction log space used by a database, the transaction log might grow uncontrollably. With SQL Server 2017 there is a new dynamic management function (DMF) that exposes statistical information about a database transaction log. One of the things you can do with the information returned from this DMF is to determine how full a database transaction log file is.

SQL Server 2019 is Here 10/01/2018

On Monday, Sep 24, 2018, at the Ignite 2018 conference, Microsoft announced the first public preview of SQL Server 2019 (community technical preview (CTP) release of SQL Server 2.0).This new release of SQL Server is packed with many new features to improve performance, integrate your increasing volumes of corporate data, beef up security, and more. 

Line Numbers in SQL Server Management Studio 09/04/2018

Have ever tried to debug a chunk of TSQL code (like a stored procedure) and found yourself trying to figure out which TSQL statement is at a particular line number?  By default, SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) doesn’t display numbers.  But that is only the default, you can change it.

Displaying and Removing Unprintable Hexadecimal Characters from SQL Server Data 09/04/2018

There are times when you might need to look at your SQL Server data in hexadecimal format. Occasionally some string data will contain unprintable characters, which can cause downstream problems, if not detected and removed. Read on to learn how to display and remove unprintable hexadecimal characters from SQL Server data.