Back with SQL Server 2019 CU2, I reported an error with PolyBase connecting to Excel when trying to select TOP(10) from the table. I'm using the Microsoft Access Database Engine 2016 Redistributable's Excel driver. Here's a sample external data source and table statement: CREATE EXTERNAL DATA SOURCE VolcanoType WITH ( LOCATION = 'odbc://noplace', CONNECTION_OPTIONS =…
NVARCHAR Everywhere: A Thought Experiment
Doubling Down on Madness In the last episode of Shop Talk, I laid out an opinion which was…not well received. So I wanted to take some time and walk through my thinking a little more cogently than I was able to do during Shop Talk. Here's the short version. When you create a table and…
The Non-Technical Life Tip for Getting More Things Done
T-SQL Tuesday This month's T-SQL Tuesday topic comes from Kenneth Fisher. T-SQL Tuesday 127 How about for this months TSQL Tuesday let’s do another month of tips and tricks. But just to be a bit different, nothing to do with SQL Server (in fact let’s say nothing related to a DBMS). No SSMS tricks, no…
Installing TensorFlow and Keras for R on SQL Server 2019 ML Services
I make fairly heavy use of SQL Server Machine Learning Services in my work environment, and this includes using TensorFlow and Keras (in R and Python) to train neural networks and generate predictions against them. With the upgrade to SQL Server 2019, the security model around Machine Learning Services has changed, restricting what you are…
Building a Docker Container of a SQL Server Database
Today, we're going to go through the process of turning a database you've built into a Docker container. Before we get started, here are the expectations: I want a fully running copy of SQL Server with whatever database I'm using, as well as key components installed.I want this not to be on a persistent volume.…
36 Chambers - The Legendary Journeys: Execution to the max! 