#sqldba — Public Fediverse posts

Last day to register to Brent Ozar's 2026 Live Online Classes with a 50% discount.
And you can stack an extra 10% off on top of that.
Find out how to claim the exra discount: https://vladdba.com/2026/06/23/extra-10-off-brent-ozars-live-classes/
#SQLServer #DBA #BrentOzar #DatabasePerformance #TechTraining #sql #performance #mssql #sqldba

New blog post:
My third contribution to T-SQL Tuesday, about things that make me instantly think a query is bad.
https://vladdba.com/2026/07/07/t-sql-tuesday-200-things-that-make-a-query-bad/
#sqlserver #sqldba #microsoftsqlserver #mssqlserver #mssql #mssqldba #sql #tsql2sday #azure #azuresql #mvpbuzz

Recently updated blog post:
In which I demonstrate why using heaps in SQL Server for anything other than staging tables comes with real, measurable costs.
If you didn't get a chance to attend my session at Data Saturday Croatia 2026, then this is the next best thing.
https://vladdba.com/2025/12/30/the-hidden-costs-of-heaps-in-sql-server/
#sqlserver #sqldba #microsoftsqlserver #mssqlserver #mssql #mssqldba

New blog post:
On my experience as a first time speaker at a Data Saturday conference at Data Saturday Croatia 2026.
https://vladdba.com/2026/06/23/attendee-speaker-data-saturday/
#sqlserver #sqldba #microsoftsqlserver #mssqlserver #mssql #mssqldba #sql #mvpbuzz

PSBlitz 6.1.0 is live
New checks for Backups (RPO/RPO est.) & Instance Security (beta).
ImportExcel support
Up to 70% faster Excel exports
Retry logic for transient errors

Read the full breakdown: https://vladdba.com/2026/05/28/psblitz-6-1-0-backup-security-checks-excel-performance/
Repo: https://github.com/VladDBA/PSBlitz

#sqlserver #sqldba #powershell #microsoftsqlserver #mssqlserver #mssql #mssqldba #dba #PSBlitz #MVPBuzz

New blog post:
In which I cover and demo SQL Server roles and permissions that are viable avenues for privilege escalation to sysadmin.
https://vladdba.com/2026/05/22/sql-server-permission-privilege-escalation/
#sqlserver #sqldba #microsoftsqlserver #hashcat #cybersecurity #infosec #sql #mvpbuzz

Blog post from the past:
In which I go over potential reasons for why some special characters end up corrupted and displayed as question marks, squares or something completely different in SQL Server.
https://vladdba.com/2024/10/04/characters-question-marks-squares-sql-server/
#sqlserver #sqldba #microsoftsqlserver #mssqlserver #mssql #mssqldba

New blog post:
My guideline on how to handle and test SQL Server backups to ensure their viability and avoid a "Schrödinger's backup" scenario.
https://vladdba.com/2026/04/23/test-sql-server-backups-schrodingers-backups/
#sqlserver #sqldba #microsoftsqlserver #mssqlserver #mssql #mssqldba #sql #azure

Recently updated post:
In which I discuss the risks of improperly configured SQL Server linked server connections and provide recommendations for securing them.
Now with a query to identify improperly configured linked server connections.
https://vladdba.com/2023/07/10/securing-sql-server-linked-servers/
#sqlserver #sqldba #microsoftsqlserver #mssqlserver #mssql #mssqldba #security

New blog post:
I demo cracking SQL Server 2025 login passwords offline.
hashcat is currently the only viable tool for auditing SQL Server 2025 login passwords.

The results show how #PBKDF2 slows down brute-force attacks both inside and outside of SQL Server compared to the pre-2025 hashing algorithm.

Full methodology, benchmarks, and code included.
https://vladdba.com/2026/04/16/cracking-sql-server-2025-login-passwords-offline-with-hashcat/
#sqlserver #sqldba #microsoftsqlserver #hashcat #cybersecurity #infosec #sql

New blog post:
In which I go over three points that are vital in preventing SQL injection when working with dynamic T-SQL.
https://vladdba.com/2026/04/15/dynamic-t-sql-sql-injection-quotename-executesql/
#sqlserver #sqldba #microsoftsqlserver #mssqlserver #mssql #mssqldba #sql

New blog post:
My second contribution to T-SQL Tuesday, about a session that got me interested into the security side of things.
https://vladdba.com/2026/04/14/t-sql-tuesday-197-impactful-session-dba-career/
#sqlserver #sqldba #microsoftsqlserver #mssqlserver #mssql #mssqldba #sql #tsql2sday

New blog post:
In which I provide some examples as to why FLOAT isn’t the best option for storing exact financial data in SQL Server.
https://vladdba.com/2026/04/11/stop-using-float-for-financial-data-sql-server/
#sqlserver #sqldba #microsoftsqlserver #mssqlserver #mssql #mssqldba #sql

Blog post from the past:
In which I demo two PoCs for SQL injection vulnerabilities fixed in SQL Server 2022 CU20 GDR KB5063814
https://vladdba.com/2025/08/29/poc-sql-injection-sql-server-2022-cu20-gdr-kb5063814/
#sqlserver #sqldba #microsoftsqlserver #mssqlserver #mssql #mssqldba #sql

I've noticed today that Microsoft Bing Webmaster Tools has a new "AI Performance" tab.
Apparently, my SSMS 22 config blog post has been cited by "Microsoft Copilots and Partners" a total of 284.7K times since I've published it ~6 months ago. Pretty neat, although this doesn't really translate into visits.

Link to blog post: https://vladdba.com/2025/11/16/my-sql-server-management-studio-22-configuration/

#sqlserver #sqldba #microsoftsqlserver #mssqlserver #mssql #mssqldba #sql

Latest release of PSBlitz:
- New GUI mode
- Google Cloud SQL & SQL Server 2025 compatibility
- Overhauled HTML reports - Dark theme, better accessibility, improved UX
- New Query Store pages in HTML/Excel reports
- Updated resources
https://vladdba.com/2026/03/23/psblitz-v6-0-0-gui-mode-dark-mode-google-cloud-sql-support/
#sqlserver #sqldba #powershell #microsoftsqlserver #dba #PSBlitz

New blog post:
In which I cover where to find the 4 new export formats in SSMS 22.4.1 and one gotcha you need to be mindful of.
https://vladdba.com/2026/03/20/ssms-export-result-excel-json-markdown-xml/
#sqlserver #sqldba #microsoftsqlserver #mssqlserver #mssql #mssqldba #sql

Blog post from the past:
In which I explore the impact of SQL Server 2025’s #PBKDF2 hashing algorithm on password cracking and compare it with SQL Server 2022
https://vladdba.com/2025/06/23/looking-into-sql-server-2025s-new-pbkdf2-hashing-algorithm/
#sqlserver #sqldba #microsoftsqlserver #mssqlserver #mssql #mssqldba

Blog post from the past:
In which I cover ANSI_NULLS and QUOTED_IDENTIFIER, two potentially dangerous SET options that stored procedures inherit from your session when created.
https://vladdba.com/2025/03/03/dangerous-set-options-stored-procedures/
#sqlserver #sqldba #microsoftsqlserver #mssqlserver #mssql #mssqldba

New blog post:
Outlining the process of changing the edition of a SQL Server instance on Linux
https://vladdba.com/2026/02/03/change-edition-sql-server-linux/
#linux #sqlserver #sqldba #microsoftsqlserver #mssqlserver #mssql #mssqldba #sql

New blog post:
In which I cover the process of setting up SQL Server 2025 on Ubuntu 24.04, connecting and restoring a sample database.
https://vladdba.com/2026/02/02/sql-server-2025-ubuntu-24-04/
#linux #ubuntu #virtualbox #sqlserver #sqldba #microsoftsqlserver #mssqlserver #mssql #mssqldba #sql

New blog post:
My first ever contribution to T-SQL Tuesday.
https://vladdba.com/2026/01/20/t-sql-tuesday-194-learning-from-mistakes/
#sqlserver #sqldba #microsoftsqlserver #mssqlserver #mssql #mssqldba #sql #tsql2sday

Blog post from the past:
In which I cover ways of speeding up SELECT COUNT in SQL Server as well as some myths about best practices when it comes to SELECT COUNT.
https://vladdba.com/2023/08/21/speeding-up-select-count-in-sql-server/
#sqlserver #sqldba #microsoftsqlserver #mssqlserver #mssql #mssqldba

New blog post:
In which I cover some unpleasant side-effects of using heaps in SQL Server for anything else than staging tables.
https://vladdba.com/2025/12/30/the-hidden-costs-of-heaps-in-sql-server/
#sqlserver #sqldba #microsoftsqlserver #mssqlserver #mssql #mssqldba #sql

New blog post:
My most popular blog posts in 2025 by views, likes, and comments.
https://vladdba.com/2025/12/27/most-popular-blog-posts-in-2025/
#sqlserver #sqldba #microsoftsqlserver #mssqlserver #mssql #mssqldba #sql

Blog post from the past:
In which I demo how to import and query HTML table data in SQL Server using only T-SQL.
https://vladdba.com/2023/11/03/import-and-query-html-table-data-in-sql-server/
#sqlserver #sqldba #microsoftsqlserver #mssqlserver #mssql #mssqldba

New blog post:
In which I cover a sometimes overlooked gotcha when using page compression on heaps.
https://vladdba.com/2025/12/09/page-compression-heaps-sql-server/
#sqlserver #sqldba #microsoftsqlserver #mssqlserver #mssql #mssqldba #sql

The latest #PSBlitz:
- Updated with the non-sp versions of sp_Blitz* from Brent Ozar's Nov. release of the First Responder Kit
- Adds buttons to copy query text to clipboard for any query in the HTML report
- Provides overview findings/issues per section of the HTML report's main page
- Limits Statistics Info page to stats that require attention
- Includes other bug fixes and minor improvements

https://github.com/VladDBA/PSBlitz

#sqlserver #sqldba #powershell #microsoftsqlserver #mssql #powershell

Updated blog post:
Added information about limitations and a workaround for transferring SSMS 21 connection history data to SSMS 22 when using the classic Connection Dialog.
https://vladdba.com/2025/11/17/import-saved-connections-from-ssms-21-to-ssms-22/
#sqlserver #sqldba #microsoftsqlserver #mssqlserver #mssql #mssqldba #sql #ssms #PowerShell

New blog post:
In which I demo a PowerShell script I wrote to extract and decrypt SSMS 21 and 22 saved connection information.
https://vladdba.com/2025/11/22/powershell-extract-ssms-21-22-saved-connection-information/
#sqlserver #sqldba #microsoftsqlserver #mssqlserver #mssql #mssqldba #sql #ssms #PowerShell

In this post I cover my favorite SQL Server Management Studio tips and tricks that I've picked up along the years, and on which I rely on a daily basis in my workflow.
Some of these include: generating scripts for multiple indexes, multi-line editing, using the clipboard ring (yup, SSMS has a 20-item clipboard history).

https://vladdba.com/2023/11/27/my-favorite-ssms-tips-and-tricks/

#sqlserver #sqldba #microsoftsqlserver #mssqlserver #mssql #mssqldba #ssms #sqlservermanagementstudio