Is 8060 bytes per row still the limit in SQL Server 2005? Yes, but varchar, nvarchar, varbinary, sql_variant and CLR types are excluded. That is row overflow data.
SQL SERVER – Explanation and Comparison of NULLIF and ISNULL
NULLIF returns NULL when two expressions are equal and the first one when they are not. Here is how it compares with ISNULL and the matching CASE expression.
A Simple Dashboard From DMVs
A dashboard from DMVs can show live requests, database state, waits, and backups when its queries refresh without adding load.
Current Date and Time in SQL Server: GETDATE, SYSDATETIME and More
You can read the current date and time in SQL Server in eight ways, and they differ in precision and time zone. This post runs them side by side, shows that each one is evaluated once per statement, and picks the right one for defaults, audit columns and reports.
SQL SERVER – Find Length of Text Field
LEN works for VARCHAR but not for TEXT. To find the length of text field data, use DATALENGTH(textfield). A one line example shows how.
SQLAuthority.com News – Journey to SQL Authority Milestone of SQL Server
My 200th post, a thank you to my readers and a look at the Journey to SQL Authority milestones: interview questions, coding standards, jobs, humor and more.
SQL SERVER – Delay Function – WAITFOR clause – Delay Execution of Commands
The WAITFOR clause delays a batch, stored procedure or transaction until a set time or for an interval. I use it daily after restores. DELAY and TIME examples.
SQL SERVER – De-fragmentation of Database at Operating System to Improve Performance
Why does de-fragmentation of database files at the operating system level skip MDF files? SQL Server has them open, so stop the services first.
SQL SERVER – 2005 – UDF – User Defined Function to Strip HTML – Parse HTML – No Regular Expression
A simple SQL Server function to parse HTML and keep only the text, with no regular expressions needed. Copy the UDF and try it on your own data.
SQL SERVER – sp_HelpText for sp_HelpText – Puzzle
What happens when you run sp_HelpText on itself? It prints its own code. Plus tips for long lines, encrypted objects and searching object code.










