SQL Code Analysis from a PowerShell Deployment Script

This article shows how to define SQL code analysis rules using SQL Prompt and them run them automatically from a PowerShell script, displaying the detected code issues in a handy HTML report. Read more

What is SQL Change Automation?

This article describes the basic principles of SQL Change Automation, and how it works to provide a consistent and repeatable way of automating as much as possible of the database build, test, and deployment processes. Read more

Troubleshooting Blocking in SQL Server using SQL Monitor

SQL Monitor tells us immediately when significant blocking occurs, and where, during busy periods, and provides the full blocking chain, in an easy-to-digest graphical format, so we can diagnose and resolve the blocking quickly. Read more

Using SQL Data Compare to Synchronize Custom Error Messages

Steve Jones shows how to get SQL Data Compare to synchronize custom error messages, stored in the sys.messages system catalog view, across SQL Server instances. This can be a handy way of ensuring your DR and HA instances keep their messages in sync. Read more

Finding code smells using SQL Prompt: TOP without ORDER BY in a SELECT statement (BP006)

Using TOP in a SELECT statement, without a subsequent ORDER BY clause, is legal in SQL Server, but meaningless because asking for the TOP x rows implies that the data is guaranteed to be in a certain order, and tables have no implicit logical order. You must specify the order. Read more

Choosing Between Table Variables and Temporary Tables (ST011, ST012)

Phil Factor demonstrates the use of temporary tables and table variables, and offers a few simple rules to decide if a table variable will give better performance than a temp table (ST011), or vice-versa (ST012). Read more

Monitoring Distributed SQL Servers using SQL Monitor

If your SQL Server estate is large, or installed across different, isolated networks, or both, then you need a distributed monitoring solution. It is very easy to set up multiple base monitors in SQL Monitor, and then to manage the monitoring, alerting and troubleshooting for your entire SQL Server estate, from a single web interface. Read more

Pseudonymizing your data with SQL Data Generator

Starting from a database view, as the basis for a typical sales reports, Phil factor shows how to generate a data-masked version of this report, which the Tax Men can safely pore over. Read more

Automatic Provisioning of Developer Databases with SQL Provision

Steve Jones shows a simple way to provision full size databases for developers, using production like data that has been masked automatically as part of the provisioning process. Read more

SQL Compare Snapshots: a lightweight database version control and rollback mechanism

During the proof-of-concept phase of development work, SQL Compare Snapshots offer an easy way to work out what broke, if a change causes some tests to fail, as well as a simple ‘roll back’ technique to return quickly to the last working copy. Read more

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