Tools & Automation on Andy M Mallon - AM²

Using an AI agent to finish a website migration

Tue, 17 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000

When I returned to writing, I said AI belongs alongside the other tools I use to get work done. Finishing this migration is a useful example—especially the last 20% I called out in the intro.

With the pipeline running and the archive reviewed, that judgment becomes the main job. Cody can produce changes pretty quickly. I still need to decide whether they’re right.

Moving a blog without breaking the archive

Tue, 10 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Last time, we got the replacement site running. Now comes a migration question that should sound familiar to database people: how do you know you brought everything you needed?

Counting imported posts is useful. It won’t tell you that the SQL in one of them has turned into a single unreadable paragraph.

WordPress to Hugo: Cooking up a new website

Tue, 03 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Last week, I described getting a working copy of my blog on a new test domain. This week, let’s talk about getting the tech properly assembled into a delicious dish, and about how I got from a half-baked but impressive-looking website to a full migration in a few days.

am2.co just got a new look

Tue, 27 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This site was starting to get a little dusty. Things change fast in tech—as database folk, we often think of technologies, languages, and capabilities—but design and UX are constantly evolving, too. The styling and the design were both starting to look a bit dated, and “a bit dated” is not a term I want associated with my professional blog/website. I haven’t been writing a ton of new content, so I also haven’t been putting in the incremental upkeep. Anyway…let’s talk about my updates.

Crawling out of my hole to write more

Mon, 26 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

I haven’t been blogging much over the past couple of years. I’m crawling out of my hole to write again, and I hope to post more regularly. That’s what everyone says when they come back, though, so we’ll see if I actually follow through.

What’s bringing me back to writing? One reason is that AI has become a practical tool in my day-to-day work, and I want to write about how I use it. Expect the familiar topics—HA/DR, performance tuning, and professional development—with AI alongside SSMS as a standard part of the toolkit.

Your documentation belongs with your code

Tue, 13 Oct 2026 11:02:59 -0400

For years, I’ve advocated for keeping developer documentation in the same code repository as the code it describes. In the age of AI, that practice has become even more important.

The reason is simple: the easier we make it to maintain documentation, the more likely it is to stay current.

Clear, Concise, Complete, and Correct: Avoiding AI Slop

Mon, 28 Sep 2026 16:58:36 -0400

There’s a particular kind of writing that has become increasingly easy to produce: technically plausible, grammatically correct, reasonably well organized, and almost completely exhausting to read.

You know the stuff–it has a lot of words. It has headings for everything. It explains things that don’t need explaining, repeats the same point three different ways, and somehow manages to leave out the details you actually needed.

Function to create SQL TABLE does not works well using Powershell

Thu, 02 Sep 2021 11:41:40 -0400

Question

I need to get the values from a Excel Sheet (in a shared folder) to export it and then create a SQL Table in my instance. After of this I will execute a Stored Procedure (I already created) in order to create extended properties for a specific schema on tables,columns and rows.

Redgate Streamed

Thu, 09 Apr 2020 14:22:05 -0400

Last week, I had the pleasure of participating in Redgate Streamed, a three-day virtual conference organized by my friends at Redgate. My session was Shortcuts from an impatient DBA–discussing a bunch of Management Studio tips & tricks for data professionals. The virtual conference was free for all, and was recorded and freely available to watch on demand. The recording of my session is available as part of the Day 2 recording, and you can also see some equally great sessions from Day 1 and Day 3.

Joining the Friends of Redgate program 🎉

Wed, 04 Mar 2020 10:03:42 -0500

I’m super excited to announce that today I was notified that I will be joining the Friends of Redgate program! 🎉💃🎊

“What’s the Friends of Redgate?” you ask?

Well, the Friends of Redgate is a program for SQL Server Community members who blog/speak/etc within the community. Redgate helps their Friends by providing collaboration opportunities for community activities, and also some VIP insider access to development teams. As a former Product Manager, I know how important it is to allow development teams direct connection to users of the product, to help provide context and feedback to the way the software gets used in the real world–especially since real world use can be different from what the development team or Product Manager intended the product use to be.

Using PowerShell to tidy up CSV files

Fri, 28 Dec 2018 13:31:18 -0500

I was recently fussing with a CSV file that had an inconsistent number of columns. UGH. There was a bunch of historical data that had 4 columns, and then more recent data had a new attribute added with 5 columns. I spent a few minutes cursing whoever was responsible, then moved on.

Removing [square brackets] from generated SSMS scripts

Tue, 17 Jul 2018 10:42:04 -0400

The number of people who really love having their code [quoted] with [square brackets] is pretty small. The vast majority of people who I meet really hate them, and promptly remove them.

If everyone hates them, why are they there?

If you’re generating CREATE/ALTER/DROP/etc scripts for objects, whether using SQL Server Management Studio, SQL Ops Studio, or PowerShell, those scripts are generated by SMO–the SQL Server Management Objects. SMO wants to [quote] everything.

Generating artificial CPU load 🔥

Thu, 14 Jun 2018 11:43:10 -0400

I was recently asked:

For testing, I need to generate artificial CPU load on the server, outside of SQL Server. Do you have any ideas? Maybe something with PowerShell?

I quickly replied:

Heck yea, PowerShell can do that.

I mean, I knew PowerShell could do it. I just didn’t know how.

Is that share using SMBv1?

Wed, 13 Jun 2018 13:26:28 -0400

In case you’ve missed it (though, if you’re a data professional or other IT pro, you must live under a rock if you’ve missed it), SMBv1 should never ever be used. Alas, some shares out there still exist & use it.

Recent Windows updates have tried to turn off SMBv1 , alas Microsoft’s Ned Pyle (blog) still maintains a long list of products that still need SMBv1.

Using PowerShell to navigate SQL Server as a drive

Thu, 15 Feb 2018 12:33:04 -0500

I might be a SQL Server pro, but I’m still a PowerShell novice. I learn best by doing, so I keep pushing myself to do more with PowerShell so that I can learn more.

If you don’t already know this about the SqlServer PowerShell Module, you can access SQL Server via a path, as if it were a drive.

Updated shortcuts cheat sheet -- Now with Azure Data Studio

Thu, 08 Feb 2018 21:05:46 -0500

Updated (2018-09-24): SQL Ops Studio is now generally available, and has been renamed Azure Data Studio. I've updated the cheat sheet to reflect the name change, but the shortcuts remain the same. Feel free to grab the updated PDF with the new label, or keep the old one to prove your OG status.

Nearly two year ago, I first published my Shortcuts cheat sheet. Since then, thousands of people have downloaded it. I’ll be the first to admit that I didn’t expect it to be as much of a hit as it has been. When I give my one-hour talk in person, I bring card stock handouts of my cheat sheets, too. I also ask people for their favorite shortcuts, and I’ve learned some great new hidden gems.

Backing up to NUL:

Sun, 31 Dec 2017 08:10:43 -0500

Linux folks have lots of jokes & fun t-shirts about /dev/null/. The null device is a handy location to dump output to, when you don’t actually care about the output. In PowerShell, you can use Out-Null to dump extra output into the ether, and keep your logs or console clean.

Shortcuts From an Impatient DBA Recording- DBA Fundamentals

Wed, 20 Sep 2017 08:54:21 -0400

I often get asked, “Do you have any of your sessions recorded so I can watch them online?” And the answer has always been, “No, you’ll have to come see me in person.” I’m a tad of a perfectionist, so if I was going to record something just for publication online, I’d never be happy with it. Therefore, I never even tried–I knew the time investment I’d need to be happy with the product was too steep.

Keyboard shortcut to close a query tab in SSMS

Fri, 27 Jan 2017 08:00:22 -0500

Shortcuts & tips from an Impatient DBA

This series of short posts will demonstrate some lesser-known features, keyboard shortcuts, and other tips that make my day as a DBA more productive. None of these are groundbreaking super-secret features–they are the little things that I do as part of my daily work that make me more efficient.

PowerShell can't see network locations after SQLPS module is loaded

Mon, 15 Aug 2016 11:38:16 -0400

Question

I’m trying to automate a script that backups a database in one environment, copies it to the other, then restores it there. But there’s some strange behavior going on.

First, I try to access a network location. Works like a bliss:

SSMS Template Replacement

Thu, 19 May 2016 09:00:30 -0400

Shortcuts & tips from an Impatient DBA

Shortcuts Cheat Sheet - SSMS & Windows

Mon, 07 Mar 2016 08:00:29 -0500

I’ve published an updated version of this cheat sheet with additional shortcuts and Azure Data Studio coverage. Download the updated PDF. I’ve presented my Shortcuts from an Impatient DBA talk a few times now, and I really love it. Everyone learns something, whether you’re a Junior Developer, or a multi-decade veteran, or a Data Platform MVP.

SSMS Vertical block highlighting & editing

Tue, 24 Nov 2015 11:00:11 -0500

Shortcuts & tips from an Impatient DBA #11

Embedded video demos in PowerPoint

Fri, 11 Sep 2015 03:09:00 -0400

This series of short posts will demonstrate some lesser-known features, keyboard shortcuts, and other tips that make my day as a DBA more productive. None of these are groundbreaking super-secret features--they are the little things that I do as part of my daily work that make me more efficient.

Embedded video demos in PowerPoint

Last night, I presented about this series of shortcuts and tips at the New England SQL Server user group. I’d set myself up with the expectation that EVERYONE would learn at least one thing from my presentation (including the two MVPs in the room). It was a high expectation, but I think I managed to deliver. But that’s not the point of this blog post.

Tools & Automation on Andy M Mallon - AM²

Using an AI agent to finish a website migration

Moving a blog without breaking the archive

WordPress to Hugo: Cooking up a new website

am2.co just got a new look

Crawling out of my hole to write more

Your documentation belongs with your code

Clear, Concise, Complete, and Correct: Avoiding AI Slop

Function to create SQL TABLE does not works well using Powershell

Question

Redgate Streamed

Joining the Friends of Redgate program 🎉

“What’s the Friends of Redgate?” you ask?

Using PowerShell to tidy up CSV files

Removing [square brackets] from generated SSMS scripts

If everyone hates them, why are they there?

Generating artificial CPU load 🔥

Heck yea, PowerShell can do that.

Is that share using SMBv1?

Using PowerShell to navigate SQL Server as a drive

Updated shortcuts cheat sheet -- Now with Azure Data Studio

Backing up to NUL:

Shortcuts From an Impatient DBA Recording- DBA Fundamentals

Keyboard shortcut to close a query tab in SSMS

Shortcuts & tips from an Impatient DBA

PowerShell can't see network locations after SQLPS module is loaded

Question

SSMS Template Replacement

Shortcuts & tips from an Impatient DBA

Shortcuts Cheat Sheet - SSMS & Windows

SSMS Vertical block highlighting & editing

Shortcuts & tips from an Impatient DBA #11

Embedded video demos in PowerPoint

Embedded video demos in PowerPoint

Tip: Master Control Panel

Shortcuts & tips from an Impatient DBA #9

Tip: Go [count]

Shortcuts & tips from an Impatient DBA #8

Common SSMS keyboard shortcuts

Shortcuts & tips from an Impatient DBA #7

Tip: Never disable a job temporarily

Shortcuts & tips from an Impatient DBA #6

Tip: Windows Explorer address bar hack

Shortcuts & tips from an Impatient DBA #5

SSMS Query Shortcuts

Shortcuts & tips from an Impatient DBA #4

Shortcut: SQL Template Parameters

Shortcuts & tips from an Impatient DBA #3

Shortcut: CTRL + ]

Shortcuts & tips from an Impatient DBA #2

Shortcut: CTRL + SHIFT + V

Shortcuts & tips from an Impatient DBA