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Articles by Randolph West
It’s 2026 and I’m retired, so lets get Visual Basic 6.0 to run on Windows 11
In 1999 I released my first commercial software product. ShutOff 2000 was a Windows application that could log off or shut down Windows in multiple ways. It was successful enough that a serial number generator was produced by at least two hacker collectives. A badge of honour, really. So now that I’m retired, I thought… The post It’s 2026 and I’m retired, so lets get Visual Basic 6.0 to run on Windows 11 appeared first on Born SQL.
Goodbye, Microsoft – SQLServerCentral
A few years ago I took a new job at Microsoft, working as a Senior Content Developer, and as of this writing I own all the SQL Server content in Microsoft Docs. Not bad. After the release of ChatGPT in 2022, it was only a matter of time before large language models (LLMs) spelled the… The post Goodbye, Microsoft appeared first on Born SQL.
Git forked - SQLServerCentral
Forgive me for the title. Mentally I’m 12. When I started my current day job, I certainly didn’t expect to write this many blog posts about Git. I don’t fancy myself an expert by any means. Today I entered a new realm. Here’s what I know about Git forks: Git is a fully distributed source… Git forked The post Git forked appeared first on Born SQL.
More fun with Git: git restore – SQLServerCentral
The setup My day job involves babysitting a lot of Git repositories hosted on GitHub. The vast majority of the commits, merges, and squashes I run on a daily basis involve short-lived branches, and I rebase and squash them all the time. It’s cool. It’s even cooler when you can run git reflog to undo… More fun with Git: git restore The post More fun with Git: git restore appeared first on Born SQL.
Run SQL Server 2025 and SQL Server Management Studio on macOS Tahoe – SQLServerCentral
, Short version You want to get this running as fast as possible. Do these four steps, and then check the compatibility section later in this post. Step 1: Install Parallels Desktop That annual license fee is worth every cent for what it unlocks. If you have a MacBook Pro with more than 32 GB of… Run SQL Server 2025 and SQL Server Management Studio on macOS Tahoe The post Run SQL Server 2025 and SQL Server Management Studio on macOS Tahoe appeared first on Born SQL.
macOS Tahoe breaks SQL Server on Docker containers on Apple silicon – SQLServerCentral
, The honeymoon is over, and macOS 26 Tahoe broke the Rosetta 2 emulation layer with SQL Server 2025 RC 1 running in a Docker container. I know it was Tahoe, because it worked the day before I upgraded, and then it didn’t work the next day. I’m not alone, according to the mssql-docker GitHub repository.… macOS Tahoe breaks SQL Server on Docker containers on Apple silicon The post macOS Tahoe breaks SQL Server on Docker containers on Apple silicon appeared first on Born SQL.
Get required permissions for DMVs – SQLServerCentral
Part of my job at work is to update Transact-SQL reference content. System dynamic management views (DMVs) have permissions that are managed in the SQL Server Database Engine source code, so it’s a little tricky to figure out the required permissions for a specific DMV. This blog post provides a stored procedure that uses sys.fn_builtin_permissions… Get required permissions for DMVs The post Get required permissions for DMVs appeared first on Born SQL.
SQL Server Management Studio uses the Visual Studio installer – SQLServerCentral
Yes, SSMS 21 uses the Visual Studio installer. No, you don’t need to download it every time. No, you don’t need a Visual Studio license to use it. The post SQL Server Management Studio uses the Visual Studio installer appeared first on Born SQL.
What’s new in SQL Server 2025 CTP 2.0 – SQLServerCentral
Three years ago, when the first public preview of SQL Server 2022 (CTP 2.0) was announced, I was a few months in at the SQL Docs team, and had very little to do with that release. Three years later, the team is slightly larger (we’re called Data Docs now), and I was much more involved… What’s new in SQL Server 2025 CTP 2.0 The post What’s new in SQL Server 2025 CTP 2.0 appeared first on Born SQL.
The hell of Git line endings and the (not so) simple fix – SQLServerCentral
I wrote a stream-of-consciousness post a few months ago about what I do in my day job at Microsoft, working in the Database Docs team. Basically we spend most of our day in an obscure distributed version control system (DVCS) by the name of Git. Written over a weekend by the creator of Linux himself,… The hell of Git line endings and the (not so) simple fix The post The hell of Git line endings and the (not so) simple fix appeared first on Born SQL.
Don’t run CHKDSK while SQL Server is running – SQLServerCentral
, On behalf of every database administrator everywhere, I implore you not to run CHKDSK on a system that has a live database installed and running. This includes, but is not limited to: SQL Server PostgreSQL MySQL MariaDB SQLite Oracle DB2 This also includes development and test environments. If you have any of these database systems… Read More »Don’t run CHKDSK while SQL Server is running The post Don’t run CHKDSK while SQL Server is running appeared first on Born SQL.
How do you restore a SQL Server 2000 database in the year 2024? – SQLServerCentral
, A discussion on LinkedIn led to this hypothetical “real world” question: Problem statement: I have a SQL Server 2000 database backup that I need to restore to a supported version of SQL Server (preferably SQL Server 2022). How do I do that? If this was my problem to solve, I would: Install SQL Server 2008… Read More »How do you restore a SQL Server 2000 database in the year 2024? The post How do you restore a SQL Server 2000 database in the year 2024? appeared first on Born SQL.
What I actually do at Microsoft – SQLServerCentral
I started working at Microsoft in January 2022. I enjoy it. I even wrote a stream-of-consciousness post about it last year. A significant part of our job in the Database Docs team, is to resolve customer feedback issues about documentation. It doesn’t quite consume half of my time every month, but it might. Feedback Recently… Read More »What I actually do at Microsoft The post What I actually do at Microsoft appeared first on Born SQL.
I can no longer recommend Liquid Web for hosting – SQLServerCentral
I’ve had a really disappointing experience with the Liquid Web sales team, regarding the web server that hosts this blog post you’re reading right now. My disappointment is compounded by the fact that their technical folks are so incredibly good. I run cPanel on CentOS, and I need to move to a new operating system… Read More »I can no longer recommend Liquid Web for hosting The post I can no longer recommend Liquid Web for hosting appeared first on Born SQL.
Hello Microsoft Entra ID, good bye Azure Active Directory – SQLServerCentral
, A couple of months ago where I work, a major product started undergoing a rebrand. I don’t pretend to understand marketing folks, but a change this big needed to be well-coordinated. As of this writing, Azure Active Directory (Azure AD for short, and never AAD) is now known as Microsoft Entra ID. You can find out more… Read More »Hello Microsoft Entra ID, good bye Azure Active Directory The post Hello Microsoft Entra ID, good bye Azure Active Directory appeared first on Born SQL.
You should be running on SQL Server 2022 – SQLServerCentral
, It’s me again with my apparently semi-annual blog post. This time we’re going to talk about which version of SQL Server you should be on, now that we’re at the end of 2023. Which version should I be on? You should be running your production environment on SQL Server 2022 with the latest cumulative update… Read More »You should be running on SQL Server 2022 The post You should be running on SQL Server 2022 appeared first on Born SQL. Original post (opens in new tab)
I don’t blog anymore, but not because I work at Microsoft – SQLServerCentral
, Last year I had a health scare that got my blood pressure at 200-and-something over 100-and-something, soon to be wired up to an IV drip, put through a CT scanner, and a couple of weeks later, poked and prodded from both ends while administered fentanyl. I’m in my mid-40s, and my father died when he… Read More »I don’t blog anymore, but not because I work at Microsoft The post I don’t blog anymore, but not because I work at Microsoft appeared first on Born SQL. Original post (opens in new tab)
Connecting to SQL Server Database Engine, simplified – SQLServerCentral
, One of the advantages of being on the Database Docs team at Microsoft is that I get to work with amazing people, which means we can respond quickly to customer issues. Recently, a Microsoft customer who was doing an online training course to learn SQL Server, wondered what the tcp: means at the start of… Read More »Connecting to SQL Server Database Engine, simplified The post Connecting to SQL Server Database Engine, simplified appeared first on Born SQL. Original post (opens in new tab)
Computer Security Principles and Practice -- Rental Edition, 5th Edition
Copyright 2024 Dimensions: 7-3/8" x 9-1/8" Pages: 920 Edition: 5th Book ISBN-10: 0-13-809167-6 ISBN-13: 978-0-13-809167-5 Computer Security, 5th Edition features a balanced presentation of both principles and practice. It incorporates broad and comprehensive coverage of computer and network security with current developments and topics in the field. Principles, design approaches, standards, and real-world examples give you an understanding of both the theory and application of important concepts.
On being a woman and a data professional – SQLServerCentral
This is a list of links, in no particular order, that you should read in no particular order. But read all of the words at the end of these links. This is just ten minutes’ worth of looking for content to link to about a very common issue: A Woman in SQL 2023 – Deborah Melkin… Read More »On being a woman and a data professional
Patch your SQL Server instance today – SQLServerCentral
On 14 February 2023, Microsoft released updates for all supported versions of SQL Server in the form of a General Distribution Release (GDR). A GDR is an out-of-band update that usually includes bug fixes and/or security patches. You can find out more about each release from aka.ms/sqlbuilds. In this case, the GDR fixes a remote… Read More »Patch your SQL Server instance today
Deadline for Microsoft MVP contributions is 20 March 2023 – SQLServerCentral
Since changing to the new MVP renewal model, Microsoft MVPs have had until 31 March each year to provide the list of their annual contributions. For 2023, the deadline has been brought forward to 20 March 2023. If you always leave it to the last minute, know that the last minute is almost two weeks… Read More »Deadline for Microsoft MVP contributions is 20 March 2023
You can run a SQL Server Docker container on Apple M1 and M2 Silicon – SQLServerCentral
Previously the only way to run SQL Server on Apple Silicon was via QEMU emulation or Colima (hat tip to Anthony Nocentino). Docker released beta support today for Apple’s Rosetta 2 x86 emulation layer, which means you can run SQL Server on Apple M1 or Apple M2 silicon using this option. Download and install the… Read More »You can run a SQL Server Docker container on Apple M1 and M2 Silicon
Comment might be free, but that doesn’t mean I have to listen – SQLServerCentral
I have turned off comments on this site. All existing comments have been removed. Even the nice ones from awesome people, and the helpful ones, and the ones answering questions I posed. They are all gone. This is my website. I don’t need to be abused through the comment section, and this was all thanks… Read More »Comment might be free, but that doesn’t mean I have to listen
Max server memory recommendations are just a suggestion – SQLServerCentral
Some of you might know me because of the Max Server Memory Matrix, a chart I created based off a decade-old algorithm developed by Jonathan Kehayias. The chart has lived at bornsql.ca/memory for a while. There’s even a handy script on GitHub you can run. Check it out. I’ll wait. When you install SQL Server on -> Continue reading Max server memory recommendations are just a suggestion The post Max server memory recommendations are just a suggestion appeared first on Born SQL.
Data is not immutable – SQLServerCentral
Information — in the form of data — usually stored as binary 1s and 0s in an electronic data store, is not immutable. Even the hardiest data storage designed to last for a thousand years, etched cleverly into some physical material, is prone to data loss. As we have seen over the past few months -> Continue reading Data is not immutable The post Data is not immutable appeared first on Born SQL.
Winding down - SQLServerCentral
Normally I write these posts on a Friday evening. Sometimes it’s later than that, but always before Monday so that my editor can give it some attention before I publish. On Friday though, I spent half the day in a hospital bed, hooked up to an IV and getting tested for several things to figure -> Continue reading Winding down The post Winding down appeared first on Born SQL.
Just one more thing, an essay on troubleshooting – SQLServerCentral
Over the weekend I watched — for the first time in my life — an episode of the long-running ABC and NBC police show Columbo, starring Peter Falk. I originally knew him from the film The Princess Bride (fun fact: I acted in a film directed by Buttercup herself, Robin Wright). I’ve been hearing a -> Continue reading Just one more thing, an essay on troubleshooting The post Just one more thing, an essay on troubleshooting appeared first on Born SQL.
Choco upgrade, y’all – SQLServerCentral
Chocolatey is a package manager for Windows, like the built-in package managers on Linux, and third-party ones on macOS like Homebrew and MacPorts. The idea is this: when you’re setting up a machine, you don’t want to have to think about which applications you need installed to get up and running. This could be a -> Continue reading Choco upgrade, y’all The post Choco upgrade, y’all appeared first on Born SQL.
If I can’t use PWDENCRYPT, how am I supposed to use HASHBYTES? – SQLServerCentral
For this week, here is a short post about reinventing the wheel. An interesting conversation happened on Twitter where Dave Dustin asked: “Does anybody have an example of using HASHBYTES() to replace PWDENCRYPT() per the documentation that the latter is deprecated?” – Dave Dustin Dave is referring to the Microsoft Docs page for PWDENCRYPT(), which -> Continue reading If I can’t use PWDENCRYPT, how am I supposed to use HASHBYTES?
On bias
Last week saw the second month of my employment at Microsoft. I admit that I’m enjoying my job, and I can’t deny that the reduced amount of time I’ve spent on social media has helped. Last week also saw the second user group meeting of 2022 for the Calgary Data User Group, which I co-founded in 2018. We had my friend and MVP, Melody Zacharias, present on the various ways to migrate data to Azure.
On bias - SQLServerCentral
Last week saw the second month of my employment at Microsoft. I admit that I’m enjoying my job, and I can’t deny that the reduced amount of time I’ve spent on social media has helped. Last week also saw the second user group meeting of 2022 for the Calgary Data User Group, which I co-founded -> Continue reading On bias The post On bias appeared first on Born SQL.
A new book is on its way – SQLServerCentral
I am thrilled to announce that Microsoft Press (Pearson) has agreed to let us do another Inside Out book this year. This news is so fresh I haven’t even gotten the advance yet! The working title is SQL Server 2022 Administration Inside Out, and we have most of the same cast and crew working on -> Continue reading A new book is on its way The post A new book is on its way appeared first on Born SQL.
You can’t secure your network with spite – SQLServerCentral
I wrote a post a couple weeks ago about not changing port 1433 for security reasons. I received this comment, which is not visible on that page because it warrants a lengthy response. I have redacted the name of the commenter. I disagree. Hundreds companies around the world were victims of ransomware attack even they -> Continue reading You can’t secure your network with spite The post You can’t secure your network with spite appeared first on Born SQL.
How do I merge a small part of a Git repo into another repo? – SQLServerCentral
At my new day job, one of the things we want to do is migrate a portion of a really large Git repository (over 20GB) which I’ll call LargeRepo, into a much smaller repository ( Continue reading How do I merge a small part of a Git repo into another repo? The post How do I merge a small part of a Git repo into another repo? appeared first on Born SQL.
Don’t change your default SQL Server port for security reasons – SQLServerCentral
Since we’re on a recent theme of revising long-held best practices that are not, here’s a timely one for you: Don’t change your default SQL Server port for security reasons. In SQL Server Configuration Manager, you can set a custom port for your SQL Server instance.
The denial-of-service attack is coming from inside the house – SQLServerCentral
A short post this week. While I was helping some friends recently, we experienced a curious thing where as soon as an application was started up, it was immediately followed by a denial-of-service attack that played out in the most mundane way you can imagine. The application itself is an API that is replacing the -> Continue reading The denial-of-service attack is coming from inside the house The post The denial-of-service attack is coming from inside the house appeared first on Born SQL.
Checking accessibility in your day-to-day work – SQLServerCentral
Last year I wrote a series of posts about accessibility as it relates to presentations, and one aspect which I didn’t cover is within the documents themselves. We create slides with wonderful typeface choices, clear text, minimal animations, good colour choices, and so on, but what happens when we need to share those documents with -> Continue reading Checking accessibility in your day-to-day work The post Checking accessibility in your day-to-day work appeared first on Born SQL.
Database Projects 101 in Azure Data Studio (Calgary Data User Group) – SQLServerCentral
On Wednesday February 23rd, 2022, the Calgary Data User Group will be hosting our first user group session of the year, featuring Warwick Rudd. The topic is an introduction to Database Projects in Azure Data Studio, the cross-platform tool for connecting to SQL Server and Azure SQL Database.
Don’t optimize for ad hoc workloads as a best practice – SQLServerCentral
(This post was co-authored by Erik Darling.) The more things stay the same, the more they change… No, that’s not a mistake. In fact, it’s a reference to long-held belief systems that don’t take new information into account, and how confirmation bias is not a good motivator for recommending best practices. Let’s talk about the -> Continue reading Don’t optimize for ad hoc workloads as a best practice The post Don’t optimize for ad hoc workloads as a best practice appeared first on Born SQL.
Join me in Germany in June – SQLServerCentral
I have been selected to speak at the DataGrillen conference later this year. I will be presenting my session How Does SQL Server Store That Data Type?, which I debuted during last year’s EightKB online conference. This is the abstract for the talk, which will be presented on Thursday June 2nd, 2022, from 1:15 pm – 2:15 pm in -> Continue reading Join me in Germany in June The post Join me in Germany in June appeared first on Born SQL.
A new chapter begins – SQLServerCentral
In 2012 when I originally founded Born SQL, I never imagined I would find myself a five-time recipient of the Microsoft Data Platform MVP award, let alone be offered a job to work for Microsoft alongside amazing people including William Assaf and Kendra Little. It is a bittersweet moment for me to hang up my consulting -> Continue reading A new chapter begins The post A new chapter begins appeared first on Born SQL.
SQL Server 2019 on Apple Silicon redux: it actually works – SQLServerCentral
Last month I wrote a blog post suggesting that it was not possible to get SQL Server 2019 running on Apple Silicon. I hedged my statement by saying you could get Azure SQL Database Edge running in a Docker container instead, but at the time I could not get SQL Server itself to work at -> Continue reading SQL Server 2019 on Apple Silicon redux: it actually works The post SQL Server 2019 on Apple Silicon redux: it actually works appeared first on Born SQL.
One year later: my look back on the PASS organization – SQLServerCentral
My good friend and talented singer Rob Volk reminded me recently that I had promised to write about my involvement with PASS at the end of its life, and I remember saying out of respect that I’d wait a year before doing so. Time flies. To recap, the few remaining assets of the PASS organization including -> Continue reading One year later: my look back on the PASS organization The post One year later: my look back on the PASS organization appeared first on Born SQL.
On the nature of constant change – SQLServerCentral
Recently my spouse and I travelled to South Africa (yes, I know there’s a pandemic on) to deal with a gloomy family matter that required in-person interaction. Being an adult means dealing with things that other people can’t do or don’t want to do. Literally hours after we arrived, hot on the tail of South -> Continue reading On the nature of constant change The post On the nature of constant change appeared first on Born SQL.
And that’s a wrap – SQLServerCentral
It’s the final week of 2021, a year that was both twice as long and half the length of 2020. If you can, please make sure you are vaccinated and boosted. It doesn’t prevent infection, but it does make the experience less awful. If you’re a recent recipient of COVID-19, please do your level best -> Continue reading And that’s a wrap The post And that’s a wrap appeared first on Born SQL.
You can’t run SQL Server on Apple Silicon, and it sucks – SQLServerCentral
Prior to 2017, the only way to get SQL Server running on a Mac was through a virtual machine running some version of Windows that supported some version of SQL Server. Then SQL Server 2017 — and later SQL Server 2019 — were made available as Docker images, thanks to the newly-introduced Linux support in -> Continue reading You can’t run SQL Server on Apple Silicon, and it sucks The post You can’t run SQL Server on Apple Silicon, and it sucks appeared first on Born SQL.
Your next step in the cloud – SQLServerCentral
Over the last nine months I’ve presented (virtually) eleven times on a variety of topics relating to SQL Server and the Microsoft Data Platform. Long-time readers will know I have some experience as a high school teacher and college lecturer, and I’ve co-authored three technical books on SQL Server. My most popular session at the -> Continue reading Your next step in the cloud The post Your next step in the cloud appeared first on Born SQL.
Be careful with table updates – SQLServerCentral
The dire warning in the subject line is not meant to scare you. Rather, it is advice that is going to be useful to those of us who need to audit changes to a database. This is even more important now as SQL Server 2022 approaches, with its new system-versioned ledger tables which record everything. -> Continue reading Be careful with table updates The post Be careful with table updates appeared first on Born SQL.
Calgary Data User Group: Big Data Clusters with Bob Pusateri – SQLServerCentral
This is one of those shameless plugs I’m allowed to do from time to time to promote my user group here in Calgary. Tonight, starting 5pm Mountain time, Bob Pusateri (blog | Twitter) will be presenting an hour-long session about Big Data Clusters, a very interesting feature that was introduced with SQL Server 2019. From -> Continue reading Calgary Data User Group: Big Data Clusters with Bob Pusateri The post Calgary Data User Group: Big Data Clusters with Bob Pusateri appeared first on Born SQL.
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