I don’t blog anymore, but not because I work at Microsoft
Last year I had a health scare that got my blood pressure at 200-and-something over 100-and-something, soon to be wired up to an IV drip, put through a CT scanner, and a couple of weeks…
Connecting to SQL Server Database Engine, simplified
One of the advantages of being on the Database Docs team at Microsoft is that I get to work with amazing people, which means we can respond quickly to customer issues. Recently, a Microsoft customer…
On being a woman and a data professional
This is a list of links, in no particular order, that you should read in no particular order. But read all of the words at the end of these links. This is just ten minutes’…
Patch your SQL Server instance today
On 14 February 2023, Microsoft released updates for all supported versions of SQL Server in the form of a General Distribution Release (GDR). A GDR is an out-of-band update that usually includes bug fixes and/or…
Deadline for Microsoft MVP contributions is 20 March 2023
Since changing to the new MVP renewal model, Microsoft MVPs have had until 31 March each year to provide the list of their annual contributions. For 2023, the deadline has been brought forward to 20…
You can run a SQL Server Docker container on Apple M1 and M2 Silicon
Previously the only way to run SQL Server on Apple Silicon was via QEMU emulation or Colima (hat tip to Anthony Nocentino). Docker released beta support today for Apple’s Rosetta 2 x86 emulation layer, which…
Max server memory recommendations are just a suggestion
Some of you might know me because of the Max Server Memory Matrix, a chart I created based off a decade-old algorithm developed by Jonathan Kehayias. The chart has lived at https://bornsql.ca/s/memory/ for a while. There’s…
Data is not immutable
Information — in the form of data — usually stored as binary 1s and 0s in an electronic data store, is not immutable. Even the hardiest data storage designed to last for a thousand years,…
Winding down
Normally I write these posts on a Friday evening. Sometimes it’s later than that, but always before Monday so that my editor can give it some attention before I publish. On Friday though, I spent…
Just one more thing, an essay on troubleshooting
Over the weekend I watched — for the first time in my life — an episode of the long-running ABC and NBC police show Columbo, starring Peter Falk. I originally knew him from the film…
Choco upgrade, y’all
Chocolatey is a package manager for Windows, like the built-in package managers on Linux, and third-party ones on macOS like Homebrew and MacPorts. The idea is this: when you’re setting up a machine, you don’t…
If I can’t use PWDENCRYPT, how am I supposed to use HASHBYTES?
For this week, here is a short post about reinventing the wheel. An interesting conversation happened on Twitter where Dave Dustin asked: “Does anybody have an example of using HASHBYTES() to replace PWDENCRYPT() per the…
On bias
Last week saw the second month of my employment at Microsoft. I admit that I’m enjoying my job, and I can’t deny that the reduced amount of time I’ve spent on social media has helped.…
A new book is on its way
I am thrilled to announce that Microsoft Press (Pearson) has agreed to let us do another Inside Out book this year. This news is so fresh I haven’t even gotten the advance yet! The working…
You can’t secure your network with spite
I wrote a post a couple weeks ago about not changing port 1433 for security reasons. I received this comment, which is not visible on that page because it warrants a lengthy response. I have…