Ben Johnston in SQL Server SQL Server Regular Expression Performance and Guidelines SQL Server 2025 introduces regular expression (regex) functions to the TSQL language. You could do this in previous versions with... 02 January 2026 15 min read 111
Ben Johnston in SQL Server A complete guide to Azure SQL Managed Instance server and database configuration options A tested reference of sp_configure, ALTER DATABASE, and tempdb options that aren't supported in Azure SQL Managed Instance -plus the... 13 May 2025 10 min read
Ben Johnston in Databases 5 key problems from a SQL Server to Azure SQL Managed Instance migration (and how to avoid them) Planning an Azure SQL Managed Instance migration? Here are five surprises a real transactional SQL Server move uncovered - and... 31 March 2025 10 min read 2
Ben Johnston in SQL Server SQL Server 2022 CU Updates and Error Code 0x851A0043 I’ve been working in the Azure space for the last few years and less with full server installations. Azure leaves... 18 February 2025 5 min read
Ben Johnston in SQL Server When to enable memory-optimized tempdb metadata in SQL Server (and how to diagnose it) How to diagnose tempdb metadata latch contention in SQL Server - and decide whether enabling memory-optimized tempdb metadata is the... 08 January 2025 10 min read
Ben Johnston in SQL Server How to write an efficient SQL query: practical guidelines for faster, lighter queries Practical guidelines for writing efficient SQL queries: sargable predicates, set-based operations, index candidates, and how to read a query plan.… 19 October 2024 21 min read 3
Ben Johnston in Databases How to choose the right data types and column options in databases How to pick the right SQL Server data type for every column - covering size, performance, NULLs, and the code... 31 August 2024 28 min read 11
Ben Johnston in SQL Server How to master a database configuration audit in SQL Server: a complete guide A SQL Server database configuration audit is where most issues are found — from compatibility levels and file locations, to... 20 August 2024 16 min read
Ben Johnston in SQL Server SQL Server Configuration Audit: Complete Checklist and T-SQL Scripts Complete SQL Server configuration audit checklist with T-SQL scripts: edition and patch level, file locations, sp_configure settings, logon triggers, login... 25 July 2024 22 min read 1
Ben Johnston in SQL Server How to successfully execute a SQL Server hardware audit (complete guide) Learn how to audit SQL Server hardware and Azure cloud configuration — covering CPU, memory, storage, OS version, and backups... 17 July 2024 14 min read
Ben Johnston in SQL Server SQL Server Audit Checklist: Discovery & Setup Audit SQL Server with a structured discovery checklist. Covers server configuration, disk and memory, backups, security, database settings, and code... 06 June 2024 30 min read
Ben Johnston in Databases How to build a data culture: the 8 technical pillars that make it work Building a data culture takes more than good intentions. Here are the technical pillars — from data discoverability to error... 19 April 2024 13 min read
Ben Johnston in Culture Building a Culture of Data One of the major trends in enterprise computing, and really in enterprises themselves is an increased emphasis on data. My... 04 April 2024 19 min read
Ben Johnston in SQL Server Batch Delete in SQL Server: Six Patterns for Large-Scale DELETE Operations Six practical T-SQL patterns for deleting large numbers of rows in SQL Server without locking tables, blocking users, or growing... 01 March 2024 25 min read
Ben Johnston in PowerBI Feature Flags in Data Projects Feature flags work differently in data projects. How to use them in SQL Server, SSRS, Power BI, SSIS, and ADF... 01 February 2024 23 min read
Ben Johnston in SQL Server 11 proven data warehouse load patterns (complete guide, part two) 11 proven data warehouse load patterns — revised date, modified flag, hash comparison, history tables, and more — with the... 31 December 2023 30 min read
Ben Johnston in SQL Server Getting started with data warehouse load patterns (complete guide, part one) The requirements, prerequisites, and general patterns behind every solid data warehouse load — from natural keys and refresh rates to... 26 November 2023 28 min read
Ben Johnston in SQL Server SQL Server Security Features: Complete Guide Complete guide to SQL Server security features - TDE, Always Encrypted, Dynamic Data Masking, Row-Level Security, auditing, firewall rules, and... 15 October 2023 39 min read
Ben Johnston in SQL Server How to detect and mitigate Row-Level Security attacks in SQL Server (complete guide, part six) Detect and mitigate attacks against SQL Server Row Level Security (RLS) - side-channel timing attacks, excessive-error patterns, brute force attempts.... 03 October 2023 25 min read
Ben Johnston in SQL Server SQL Server Row-Level Security: Attacks & vulnerabilities (complete guide, part five) Explore SQL Server Row-Level Security vulnerabilities - direct attacks, indirect attacks, and side-channel bypasses. Essential reading before deploying RLS in... 25 September 2023 22 min read