Missing data is a difficult and common problem to solve. In this article, Joe Celko explains several approaches to deleting or replacing missing data.… Read more
R is a powerful language for manipulating data and creating visualizations. In this article in the series, Robert Sheldon demonstrates how R can be used within Power BI Desktop to import data and to create visualizations.… Read more
T-SQL window functions were introduced in 2005 with more functionality added in 2012. Many database professionals are not aware of these useful functions. In this article, Kathi Kellenberger provides a quick overview of just what a window function is as well as examples of each type of function.… Read more
Power BI Desktop is the free tool from Microsoft for developing in Power BI. In this article, Robert Sheldon walks you through importing and manipulating data with the Query Editor in Power BI Desktop.… Read more
In-Memory OLTP was introduced with SQL Server 2014 as a way to improve transaction performance. There are several scenarios that are not supported, such as some data types, and Darko Martinović describes the issues and provides workarounds. He also has provided a tool to assist in migrating disk-based tables to In-Memory optimized tables.… Read more
Power BI has been available for a number of years, but new functionality is added regularly. In this new series from Robert Sheldon, you will learn about the latest developments or get started with Power BI if you are new to it. Robert provides an overview of Power BI, the services and tools available in this article. … Read more
Microsoft introduced native support for JSON in SQL Server in version 2016. In this article, Phil Factor shows how to import JSON documents into to SQL Server database tables, even if there is a bit of complexity in the original data.… Read more
This article was originally published on mikesmithers.wordpress.com. “You can’t have your cake and eat it!” This seems to be a regular refrain from the EU in the ongoing Brexit negotiations. They also seem to be a bit intolerant of “cherry picking”. I’ve never really understood the saying, “You can’t have your cake and eat it” – … Read more
In the final article of this series, Robert Sheldon shows how to move from a relational structure to a graph structure using the Graph Database feature.… Read more
The Graph Database feature, new with SQL Server 2017, can be used to represent hierarchies. In this article of the series, Robert Sheldon demonstrates how to represent hierarchies in data with complex relationships.… Read more
With SQL Server 2017, Microsoft announced the exciting news that SQL Server would now run in Docker containers. Laerte Junior provides a guide to get started creating SQL Server instances in Docker.… Read more
One of the most important tools for query tuning is the ability to view execution plans. They are even portable; you can send an execution plan to get advice from someone who doesn't have access to the underlying data. Have you even considered that sensitive information might travel along with the plans? Hugo Kornelis explains how execution plans affect data protection. … Read more
SQL Server has a couple of different ways to represent hierarchies, but they do not allow storing any additional information that is important to the relationship between objects. In this article, Phil Factor explains how to use closure tables to overcome this deficiency.… Read more
Modifying data in Graph Database tables is similar to working with traditional tables, but there are several things to consider. Robert Sheldon explains how to insert, update, and delete rows of Graph Database tables and explains how to use several new helper functions. … Read more
SQL Server Management Objects (SMO) is a great tool for managing SQL Server. Darko Martinovic demonstrates how to use SMO within a C# solution to create tables, backup the database, and more.… Read more
Some time ago, Phil Factor wrote his booklet 'SQL Code Smells', collecting together a whole range of SQL Coding practices that could be considered to indicate the need for a review of the code. It was published as 119 code smells, even though there were 120 of them at the time. Phil Factor has continued to collect them and the current state of the art is reflected in this article. SQL Prompt is committed to cover as many as possible of them. Phil has also updated his book which you can download here.… Read more
Unit testing and even Test-Driven Development is possible for databases. In this article Samuel Nitsche makes the case for introducing unit tests to your database development, and suggests some lightweight ways to get started.… Read more
With Amazon RDS, it’s easy to have a SQL Server running in minutes. There are some limitations, though. Seth Delconte explains a workaround to overcome one of the limitations: the inability to restore a second copy of a database to recover missing data.… Read more
Along with Graph Databases, Microsoft has introduced the new MATCH function for querying them. Robert Sheldon explains how to use the new function.… Read more
With SQL Server now supported on Linux, traditional SQL Server DBAs will need to learn how to work with Linux, and Linux administrators will need to learn how to work with SQL Server. Fortunately, there are several tools available to assist. In this article Prashanth Jayaram describes how to work with the DMV tool which treats queries as files. … Read more
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