What are online index operations? SQL Server 2005 Enterprise Edition can create, rebuild and drop indexes without locking tables, and I explain how.
Writing Clear Error Messages in Procedures
Clear error messages in procedures identify the failed operation, useful keys, and next action without exposing sensitive data.
The Dynamic Management Views Worth Knowing by Heart
Use dynamic management views to inspect active requests, waits, cached queries, index activity, and file space without guessing at server health.
SQL SERVER – 2005 – Difference and Similarity Between NEWSEQUENTIALID() and NEWID()
NEWSEQUENTIALID() and NEWID() both create a uniqueidentifier GUID. NEWID() is random while NEWSEQUENTIALID() is sequential, as my test table shows.
SQL SERVER – Insert Data From One Table to Another Table – INSERT INTO SELECT – SELECT INTO TABLE
How to copy data from one table to another without a cursor: INSERT INTO SELECT for an existing table, or SELECT INTO to create a new table.
GROUP BY Done Right
GROUP BY Done Right separates row filters from group filters, handles NULL groups, and avoids totals inflated by careless joins.
SQL SERVER – What is SQL? How to pronounce SQL?
What is SQL and how do you pronounce SQL? It stands for Structured Query Language, and it is said as S.Q.L. (ess-cue-ell), not sequel.
SQLAuthority News – Author Visit – Database Architecture and Implementation Discussion – New York, New Jersey Details
Notes from my database architecture meeting in New York and New Jersey: backup routines, index optimization and the maintenance tasks we discussed.
SQL SERVER – Fix : ERROR : Msg 1033, Level 15, State 1 The ORDER BY clause is invalid in views, inline functions, derived tables, subqueries, and common table expressions, unless TOP or FOR XML is also specified.
Msg 1033: the ORDER BY clause is invalid in views unless TOP or FOR XML is used. My workaround moves ORDER BY to the SELECT that calls the view.
SQL SERVER – UDF – Validate Integer Function
ISNUMERIC() returns 1 for plus, minus and currency signs, so it is not a safe check. I share the UDF I use to validate integer values instead.