Daniel Calbimonte

Daniel Calbimonte
Latest posts by Daniel Calbimonte (see all)
SQL Server on-premises or SQL Cloud

SQL Server download guide

July 22, 2019 by

Introduction

This article serves as a SQL Server Download guide for both beginners and beyond. Some years ago, it was pretty simple to download the installer because you had all the components installed. Now, it is harder because you need to install several components, there are several versions and editions. This guide will help you to understand which version and edition needs to be downloaded.

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How to upload multiple images to SQL Server

March 6, 2018 by

Introduction

Sometimes we need to store information including photos in our database. For example, the photo of the product, the photo of the team members. But how can we store images in SQL Server?

We could create an application in .NET or Java, but if we do not have experience in those programming languages, we could use SQL Server tools to do it.

In this new article, we will learn the following tips that will help us to work with images including how to:

  • insert one image into SQL Server
  • store multiple files into a table
  • verify that the images were inserted
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The history of SQL Server – the evolution of SQL Server features

February 2, 2018 by

Introduction

This article will explain the main features in SQL Server 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2012, 2008, 2005, 2000, 7, 6.5, 6.0, 4.2, 1.1 and 1.0.

In the past, the first SQL Server versions supported OS/2 (an operative system created by Microsoft and IBM) and Windows.

Now, the new versions of SQL Server (vNext and SQL Server 2017) can be installed in Linux. 15 years ago, it was impossible to think that. Linux and Microsoft were just like oil in water and now, Microsoft loves Linux.

Also, we now enjoy full integration with Azure, Tabular Databases, SSIS, SSAS and more. In this article, we will talk about all these changes and improvements.

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How to create Excel reports based on SSAS information

December 18, 2017 by

Introduction

In SSAS, when I offer Power BI, Reporting Services, PowerPivot or SharePoint to connect to SSAS, the business analysts look scared. On the other hand, if I talk about MS Excel, everybody seems so happy and comfortable with it.

Excel is still the most popular spreadsheet in the world even when there are a lot of free spreadsheets like OpenOffice and LibreOffice to download, in the BI world, Excel is still the most popular.

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How to build a cube from scratch using SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS)

December 11, 2017 by

Introduction

I am a DBA consultant and several times, in the past, I have been asked for a good tool to generate fast reports to get information about the company like total sales, sales per year, month, week, etc

SSAS is a Business Intelligence (BI) technology that Microsoft bought from Panorama Software in 1996. After the acquisition, the technology was upgraded and evolved and now it is part of the tools that come with SQL Server. This tool is an extremely powerful tool to create analytical reports fast. It works with cubes that are designed to generate reports with optimal performance using aggregated information stored in the cube.

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How to use BULK INSERT to import data locally and in Azure

November 16, 2017 by

Introduction

BULK INSERT is a popular method to import data from a local file to SQL Server. This feature is supported by the moment in SQL Server on-premises.

However, there is a new feature that is supported only in SQL Server 2017 on-premises. This feature allows importing data from a file stored in an Azure storage account to SQL Server on-premises using BULK INSERT. This feature will be supported in Azure SQL versions in the future.

In this article, we will show two examples. The first example will show how to use the traditional BULK INSERT statement from a local CSV file to Azure and the second example will show how to import data from a CSV file stored in Azure to SQL Server on-premises.

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How to connect to the Azure Storage Account with SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS)

September 25, 2017 by

Introduction

In SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS), it is possible to connect to the Azure Storage. The Azure Storage Account is useful because it creates replicas automatically in the cloud. You only need to upload your file to the Azure Storage Account and the replication is automatic. You can have multiple replications in different regions and Datacenters with few clicks.

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Configure Multi-Factor Authentication in Azure SQL Database

August 30, 2017 by

Introduction

The new SSMS 17.2 allows users to authenticate using Active Directory with Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA). This is a secure method for authentication where you have more than one method to validate your authentication. That way, you have a more secure authentication and prevent your Azure Portal or applications to be easily attacked by hackers or other malicious users.

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What is new in SSMS 17; PowerShell and DAX

August 21, 2017 by

Introduction

In earlier versions, SSMS was included in the SQL Server installer. Now it is a tool that is installed separately.

In this new article, we will emphasize PowerShell and DAX. PowerShell is handled in a different way than it was in SQL Server 2016. We will give you some tips to handle these differences. In the second part of the article, we will talk about DAX. If you do not have experience with DAX, we will give you an introduction to Multidimensional, Tabular databases and you will be able to understand the new features and run your first DAX query in the new SSMS 17.

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