SSRS Is Dead. Here Are Your Real Options
Microsoft removed SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) from the SQL Server 2025 release, signaling the end of new feature development for the platform. Existing SSRS 2022 installations will receive extended support through 2032, but mainstream support ends in 2027, leaving organizations to plan migrations. The author evaluated ten realistic alternatives, ranging from staying on‑prem with Power BI Report Server to cloud‑based Power BI Service, third‑party engines like Bold Reports, and a new AI‑driven migration tool called ReportBridge. Costs vary widely, from free on‑prem options to $60K‑plus annual cloud licenses, and effort can range from zero to several hundred developer‑days.
Introducing the Relational Embedding Retrieval Pattern: Storing and Querying Vector Embeddings in SQL Server
The Relational Embedding Retrieval Pattern (RERP) shows how enterprises can store and query high‑dimensional vector embeddings directly in SQL Server. By separating document content from embeddings, precomputing vector norms, and applying metadata‑based filters, the pattern delivers semantic search without a...
What Power BI DirectQuery Does to Your SQL Server (and How to Fix It)
Power BI DirectQuery pushes every visual interaction to SQL Server as live T‑SQL, turning dashboards into a flood of ad‑hoc queries. The generated SQL is verbose, with nested subqueries, CASTs and non‑sargable predicates that strain the plan cache and indexes....
DevOps Anti-Patterns: What They Are and How to Avoid Them
DevOps anti‑patterns—practices that appear helpful but undermine speed, collaboration, and reliability—are detailed in a comprehensive guide. The article highlights common pitfalls such as creating a separate DevOps team, focusing solely on tooling, inserting manual steps into CI/CD pipelines, neglecting continuous...
How to Migrate From On-Prem to the Cloud: Uncovering Legacy System ‘Skeletons’
Pat Wright outlines how hidden dependencies in legacy applications can derail cloud migrations. A recent database move failed because the app required specific DBA permissions that were undocumented and unavailable in the cloud. He recommends forming a task force, inventorying...
Why Disabling the SQL Server Sa Account Still Matters in 2026
Even with SQL Server’s 2026 security enhancements, the built‑in sa account remains a critical attack vector. Attack tools still assume sa exists and brute‑force its password, giving adversaries immediate sysadmin control. Because sa bypasses many modern access controls, compromising it...
How to Use Sqlpackage to Detect Schema Drift Between Azure SQL Databases
The article demonstrates how to use the sqlpackage command‑line utility to detect schema drift between Azure SQL databases by comparing a DACPAC file against a target database and generating a delta script. It outlines a lightweight, scriptable workflow that avoids...
Webinar: Compliance Without Compromise: Test Data Management That Finally Fits
Redgate hosted a webinar titled "Compliance Without Compromise: Test Data Management That Finally Fits," highlighting how modern test data management can meet strict compliance requirements without slowing development. Speakers Kellyn Gorman, Redgate’s Multiplatform Database/AI Advocate, and Product Manager James Hemson...
Designing Delta Tables with Liquid Clustering: Real-World Patterns for Data Engineers
Liquid Clustering is a Delta‑Lake layout strategy that dynamically groups rows by query‑driven columns instead of static folder partitions. By continuously reorganizing files, it makes file‑level statistics more useful, enabling stronger data skipping and smaller scan footprints. Engineers enable it...
Find Duplicate Rows in SQL Server with a CTE
The article shows how to locate and list duplicate rows in a SQL Server table using a Common Table Expression (CTE) that groups all columns and counts occurrences. It presents two queries: one that returns only unique rows (order_count = 1) and...
Designing SQL Server Pipelines That Are Ready for AI Before You Actually Need AI
The article argues that AI readiness starts with robust SQL Server schema design, not with machine‑learning models. It highlights that stable, non‑recycled primary keys, preserved historical records, and clear audit columns are essential for future feature engineering. By separating raw...
How Database Professionals Sent a Million Emails a Day From SQL Server
SQL Server Central’s engineers built a custom email‑queue using plain SQL Server tables and a lightweight .NET sender to replace an expensive third‑party service. By inserting newsletters and user addresses into an EmailNewsletter table, they processed batches of 500 rows,...