Server roles debuted in SQL Server 7.0. You use these helpful security tools to assign a predefined set of permissions to one or more database logins. The sysadmin role is the most powerful fixed server role because its members can perform any fu...
Your knowledge of bitwise operators can come in handy when you want to write a trigger to identify which columns an UPDATE statement modified. If you want to determine only whether a given column was updated, you can use the UPDATE() functio...
Closing backup windows is one of the most difficult and overlooked challenges you face as a DBA. On one hand, the window of time you have to perform a backup is shrinking, closing in on you. Databases are growing larger even as availability deman...
In our development environment, everyone has the systems administrator (sa) password, and five groups use one database. Occasionally, developers accidentally delete data, and I have no way of determining who did what. How can I audit the...
Distinguished engineer Peter Spiro, leader of Microsoft's core SQL Server engine team and an 8-year veteran of the database group, talks with SQL Server MVP Brian Moran about stomping bugs, expanding programmability, adding function, and...