How's this for ironic: Microsoft North America President Judson Althoff -- a former Oracle executive -- is pitching free SQL Server 2016 licenses to Oracle customers that are willing to jump Microsoft ...

As a heavy user of other RDBMS data platforms, I have long appreciated the extra effort that Microsoft put into their data management and administration tool, the SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS).

SQL Server 2016 lost mainstream support this month, on July 13. While you can still run SQL Server 2016 and open support tickets, there will be very few performance updates. In an unusual step, ...

As SQL Server 2016 approaches end of support in July 2026, a look back at its groundbreaking innovations reveals how it reshaped Microsoft's data platform and why it's time to move forward. As I've ...

I had the pleasure to spend some time with my old friend at Microsoft, Mark Souza, while speaking at the SQL Saturday event in Dublin, Ireland. Now keep in mind that Mark and I have known each other ...

Your last SQL Server end-of-support deadlineBy Johan Lamberts, MD, Ascent TechnologyIssued by Ascent TechnologyJohannesburg, 28 Sep 2026 End the SQL Server deadline cycle for good. (Image: Ascent ...

For most of the last decade, Microsoft made it inexpensive to wait. Each time an SQL Server version reached the end of its extended support – 2008, 2012, 2014 – the same escape hatch was available.

SQL Server Developer Edition can now be downloaded for free, as long as you have a Visual Studio Dev Essentials membership. The current release is SQL Server 2014 Developer Edition, which used to cost ...

It used to be that finding and using a sample SQL database was quite simple. In fact, the venerable Pubs database used to be installed as part of the SQL Server installation process. Fast forward to ...

JSON has stolen some of XML's thunder with features such as human and machine readability, a lightweight, compact text structure and support for many software and hardware platforms. JSON (JavaScript ...