Upgrading Database Compatibility Levels Across a Whole Instance
The instance upgrade went perfectly. You moved from SQL Server 2019 to 2022, the installer turned green, the services came back up, and the application connected on the first try. A week later someone asks…
Self-Contained Transaction Scripts in SQL Server: the @debug_only Pattern
A safer alternative to the commented-out COMMIT habit: a @debug_only flag, SET XACT_ABORT ON, a named transaction, and an XACT_STATE guard that never leaves a transaction open.
COMMIT, ROLLBACK, and Autocommit: PostgreSQL Transactions for SQL Server DBAs
SQL Server DBAs lean on the ‘run to the SELECT, then COMMIT or ROLLBACK by hand’ workflow. PostgreSQL’s autocommit, abort-on-error, and plpgsql change the rules. Here is how to get the same safety and diagnostics in psql and pgAdmin.
Idempotent Data Patches in SQL Server: A Change Tracking Pattern for DACPAC Deployments
If you deploy your SQL Server databases with SSDT or DACPACs via SqlPackage, you have probably run into this problem: the schema deployment is repeatable, but the data patches are not. SSDT handles CREATE TABLE,…
Distributed Availability Groups: Architecture, Failover, and the Gotchas Nobody Mentions
A practical guide to SQL Server Distributed Availability Groups, covering architecture, failover mechanics, scripted runbooks, and the FileStream bug that TF 5597 fixes.
SQL Server hierarchyid: A Built-In Alternative to Recursive CTEs
Learn how SQL Server’s hierarchyid data type stores and queries tree structures without recursive CTEs, with practical examples for org charts and hierarchical data.