SSMS 22 Offline Installation

Beginning with SQL Server Management Studio 21, Microsoft stopped providing the direct download package/binaries to install SSMS, instead it just downloads the SSMS installer. This installer then starts the installation of SSMS and downloads what is needed to install SSMS. Sometimes there may be a need to do an offline installation where you do not have access to the internet. In this article, we walk through the steps to do an offline install of SSMS.

SQL Server 2025 CREATE EXTERNAL MODEL and AI_GENERATE_EMBEDDINGS Commands Explained

Now that SQL Server 2025 has finally been released to the public, I was finally able to test and learn a lot about this command (named CREATE EXTERNAL MODEL), and I want to share my knowledge with you here. If you’re new to the world of AI, don’t worry, we’ll start with the basics and evolve to where this command fits in!

Microsoft Fabric and MQTT for Real-Time IoT Data Ingestion and Analytics

Microsoft Fabric is a unified platform for data integration, data engineering, real-time intelligence, and advanced analytics. Fabric is known for providing an integrated way of working with your data, connecting to many diverse types of sources and across the data landscape. How do we get started ingesting and analyzing real-time data streamed over the MQTT protocol?

I Just Don’t Understand Why You Don’t Update SSMS.

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, SQL Server Management Studio was included as part of the SQL Server installer.

Azure Functions: The Serverless Powerhouse

Today’s organization are faced with multiple conflicts for their current cloud infrastructures and which approach to go with either opting for a microservice or monolith applications. However, there are numerous difficulties with standard hosting methods.

Securing Your Databases in 2026: Best Practices for the Evolving Threat Landscape

In 2026, your approach to both applications and databases must be focused on practical and technical real-world operations and use cases rather than just hype.

Exploiting SQL Server Date Correlation Optimization: How Tampered Backups Enable Cross-Database Data Leaks

This article reveals a critical SQL Server flaw: attackers can weaponize Date Correlation Optimization (DCO) views in restored backups

Using REGEXP_COUNT to Count Strings in SQL Server 2025

We need to find out how many times certain strings appear in a column. We’ve used the LEN and REPLACE functions for years, but recently heard about REGEXP_COUNT and want to evaluate it, since we plan to upgrade to SQL Server 2025. How can we test this new feature?

Deciphering Data Architectures

Data fabric, data lakehouse, and data mesh have recently appeared as viable alternatives to the modern data warehouse. These new architectures have solid benefits, but they're also surrounded by a lot of hyperbole and confusion. This practical book provides a guided tour of these architectures to help data professionals understand the pros and cons of each.

• Printed book:
  • US
• Kindle book:
  • US

Common Misconceptions About Microsoft Certification Exams

An experienced exam writer explains common misconceptions about Microsoft certification exams, question design, preparation, and real-world expectations.