Let's start with a 7-minute demo video - I didn't edit this down because I want you to be able to see what happens in real time. In this video, I point the desktop version of Claude Code at a Github issue for the First Responder Kit and tell it to do the needful:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RI0EscPWYKs
The official Azure SQL Dev's Corner blog recently wrote about how to enable soft deletes in Azure SQL using row-level security, and it's a nice, clean, short tutorial. I like posts like that because the feature is pretty cool and accomplishes a real business goal. It's always tough deciding where to draw the line on how much to include in a blog post, so I forgive them for not including one vital caveat with this feature.
Sometimes I really hate my job. Forever now, FOREVER, it's been a standard thing where I can say, "When you're measuring storage performance during index and query tuning, you should always use logical reads, not physical reads, because logical reads are repeatable, and physical reads aren't. Physical reads can change based on what's in cache,…
LinkedIn is full of absolute trash these days. Just flat out bullshit garbage. (Oh yeah, that - this post should probably come with a language disclaimer, because this stuff makes me mad.)
People wanna look impressive without actually putting in the work to gain real knowledge. They're asking ChatGPT to write viral "expertise" knowledge posts for them, and they're publishing this slop without so much as testing it.
Yes, I'm back on a cruise ship with another 360 degree video. Lest you think I'm being wildly irresponsible (or responsible perhaps?) with your consulting and training money, be aware that this particular cruise was free thanks to the fine folks in the casino department at Norwegian Cruise Lines. In between beaches and blackjack, let's go through your top-voted questions from https://pollgab.com/room/brento.
Is your company hiring for a database position as of March 2026? Do you wanna work with the kinds of people who read this blog? Let's make a love connection.
If your company is hiring, leave a comment. The rules:
tl;dr - It's easier because I've always chosen to run SQL Server VMs, so it was easier for me to switch than you might expect - but if you're a Microsoft IT pro, I don't recommend switching.
Now for the long version.
After hearing the same dire news from several of my consulting friends, I put a poll up on LinkedIn:
About half of the consultants out there are having a tougher time bringing in new clients than they have in the past.
Let's hang out in my home office in Vegas and go through your top-voted questions from https://pollgab.com/room/brento. The audio's a little echo-y in this one because I just moved my office down to a small first floor guest bedroom with hardwood floors instead of carpet, and I haven't treated the room for noise yet.
When I first started teaching database sessions at conferences, I noticed a pattern.
When I finished the session, closed PowerPoint, and thanked everyone for attending, a big queue of attendees would instantly start forming at the podium. People would line up to ask private questions, one at a time.
You've been reading my blog, watching my videos, and maybe even taking some of my training classes. You've heard me say things like "my clients" from time to time, and you're wondering... why do companies actually hire me? What problem are they trying to solve?
Well, when clients meet with me for the first time, I have a series of questions I put up on the screen for them to talk through:
Want to ask your own questions or pick the ones I discuss? Head over to https://pollgab.com/room/brento to get involved. In the meantime, let's hang out in the backyard, where Beni makes a special guest appearance.
https://youtu.be/aMMBj4owm3A
Let's hop right into it. I've got one lab server (named Colorful), so when I open the app, my estate overview isn't particularly interesting - yours will be:
Go into the server's details, and you see the top wait types over time:
I know a lot of y'all lag behind on upgrading SSMS, but v22.3 just introduced something that you need to be aware of. It's going to impact any of your users who DO upgrade their SSMS, or who use Github Copilot. There's something that you can do in order to improve Copilot's code quality and make it match your preferred coding standards.
It's an overcast afternoon at Atlantis Paradise Island in the Bahamas, so since I can't go into the water, might as well go through your top-voted questions from https://pollgab.com/room/brento.
https://youtu.be/1c0K-WJ-itk
Two big sets of news this month! The Consultant Toolkit now supports imports to a database so you can track your clients' health and performance over time, and sp_BlitzCache has a new @AI parameter.
Set @AI = 2, and get a prompt you can copy/paste into the AI of your choice to help you tune the query.
Set @AI = 1, and we'll actually call ChatGPT or Google Gemini for you and return the advice.
For SQLBits this year, I wanted to submit a performance tuning session about one of the most classic, timeless problems I run into: why is the same query fast in development but slow in production?
All of my regular readers - if there is such a thing - are now yelling out, "Parameter sniffing!"
On the world's largest floating electronic dance music festival, I took your top-voted database questions from https://pollgab.com/room/brento.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dk1kb6fM21E
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, SQL Server Management Studio was included as part of the SQL Server installer.
Back then, upgrading SSMS was not only a technical problem, but a political one too. Organizations would say things like, "Sorry, we haven't certified that cool new SQL Server 1982 here yet, so you can't have access to the installer." Developers and DBAs were forced to run SSMS from whatever ancient legacy version of SQL Server that their company had certified.
Is your company hiring for a database position as of February 2026? Do you wanna work with the kinds of people who read this blog? Let's make a love connection.
If your company is hiring, leave a comment. The rules:
