A fundamental skill for DBAs is to have a firm understanding of the SQL Server database engine's system databases. Tim Chapman discusses these system databases. A fundamental skill for DBAs is to have ...

In SQL Server 2000, we had a nifty little utility called rebuildm.exe which would rebuild the master database in emergency situations. This utility was removed in SQL Server 2005 and has not been seen ...

SQL Server backups cannot be restored to older versions directly. Use Export and Import Data-Tier Application for cross-version database migration. Reconfigure permissions, logins, and connection ...

Microsoft debuted SQL Server 2019 at Ignite, but a more technically detailed picture of the next-gen database platform emerged only later at the PASS Summit. Here are some of the standout additions ...

Relational SQL databases, which have been around since the 1980s, historically ran on mainframes or single servers—that’s all we had. If you wanted the database to handle more data and run faster, you ...

SQL Server 2012/2014 delivers compelling new capabilities that make an upgrade worthwhile. Many IT professionals agree that the AlwaysOn Availability Group (AG) feature offers the most value with its ...

SQL Server 2016 and Azure SQL Database both give you tables that automatically keep track of changes to your data. Here's how to both create those tables and alter existing tables so they track the ...