Temporal tables were introduced with SQL Server 2016. To take advantage of this feature, you might start fresh with a brand new table. It is possible, however, to convert an existing table with accumulated history to the new functionality. In this article, Mala Mahadevan explains how to create temporal tables for both scenarios.… Read more
Even when creating games, your code has access to environment variables and document files. In this article, Lance Talbert shows how to access files to convince the player that maybe the game knows more than it should.… Read more
“There are only two hard things in Computer Science: cache invalidation and naming things”Phil Karlton I’m terrible at naming things. I recently wrote some quick code to reproduce a design problem and demonstrate several options for solutions, and later realized that I’d named my objects dbo.Foo, dbo.FooFoo, and dbo.Wat. But I feel strongly about a … Read more
Each year, Redgate runs a survey to ask the folks at companies, from DBAs and Devs to CIOs, about how they monitor SQL Server. Those insights help us understand how we can make SQL Monitor more valuable to DBAs – or anyone responsible for the “care and feeding” of a SQL Server. The Estate Management … Read more
This article by Adam Aspin reviews the Azure Cosmos DB SQL API from the perspective of the relational database developer. More specifically it will show you how to leverage your Structured Query Language skills to exploit the core possibilities of Cosmos DB as a NoSQL document database.… Read more
Index maintenance can be a real headache for database administrators as tables grow larger and maintenance windows shrink. In this article, Greg Larsen demonstrates resumable index operations available with SQL Server 2017 and 2019. This feature helps DBAs work around those small maintenance windows by allowing certain index operations to be paused and restarted again later.… Read more
NASA recently named a facility in honour of Katherine Johnson, the mathematician who performed the calculations for space flights in the 50s and 60s. She was one of the “human computers” whose stories were made famous by the movie Hidden Figures just a few years ago. Until that movie was released, the contributions of these … Read more
New releases of SQL Server arrive at a quick pace, and it's difficult to keep up with the many features introduced in each version. In this article, Phil Factor reviews a feature you may have missed, inline indexes. He covers the syntax and the many ways they can be used and then performs some performance tests to see if they can make a difference with table variables.… Read more
SQL Server supports partially contained databases. This gives you the option of adding database users with a password inside the database. This makes the database easier to move to another instance or participate in an Always On Availability Group. In this article, Robert Sheldon explains how to work with users in contained databases.… Read more
Bootstrap 4 functionality makes it easy for developers to make web forms better and more intuitive for the user. In this article, Dino Esposito covers how to change the look and feel of core form controls like checkboxes and radio buttons that previous versions of Bootstrap left untouched.… Read more
Artificial Intelligence is making inroads in all aspects of technology. In this article, Afsana Atar explains the role of AI in software testing including some examples using a popular testing tool.… Read more
In the years before joining Redgate, I was a SQL Server database consultant. I spent a lot of time doing SQL Server health checks, query tuning, and ETL (extract, transform, and load) development. Every customer was different and getting to the resources I needed to do the job at each shop varied as well. I … Read more
Creating a quick dashboard with a few reports may be the beginning of a BI solution, but unless time is spent on the underlying model, it won't be adaptable enough to grow. In this article by Gogula Aryalingam, you'll see how the advice of a mentor helped a newbie understand how to create a flexible model that will lead to a valuable BI solution. … Read more
T-SQL window functions have been a fantastic addition to the T-SQL language. In this article, Kathi Kellenberger reviews how optimizations available in SQL Server 2019 can improve the performance of these functions.… Read more
Using cookie authorization in ASP.NET Core is seamless and flexible. In this article, Camilo Reyes explains why this might be a good choice for your next project and how to use the many options available. … Read more
It's even more fun to play a game when you can customize it, but creating such a game is more difficult for the game developer. In this article, Lance Talbert shows you how to add some simple modifications to games you create with Unity and VS. … Read more
Organizations have many choices when it comes to database platforms. Choosing the right one for an application should be based on the application’s characteristics and the platform’s features. In this article, Pushpa Sekhara explains why the Apache Cassandra database might be a good choice and how to get the most from it.… Read more
Communication is the foundation of DevOps. Grant Fritchey tells the tale of a project that failed because of previous communication and trust issues between the DBA and development teams. … Read more
Organizations may have many concerns about performance when migrating databases to Azure. Fortunately, Microsoft provides some great tools to help improve performance and save money. In this article, Monica Rathbun explains how to take advantage of these features.… Read more
I’ve been speaking a lot on the topic of DevOps lately, and there’s a question I like to ask. What is the purpose of your organization? I get all kinds of answers. “We make software that delights our customers and makes their jobs easier.” “Our company makes low-cost widgets. “ “We make the best gizmos … Read more
Compliant Database DevOps
