Msg 544, cannot insert explicit value for identity column, happens when IDENTITY_INSERT is OFF. Turn it ON, insert your rows, then turn it OFF again.
Change Database Compatibility Level in SQL Server Safely
How to change database compatibility level in SQL Server 2025 with ALTER DATABASE. It covers the levels the server accepts, what the level changes in the optimizer, why single user mode isn’t needed, and a safe routine for raising the level with Query Store.
SQL SERVER – User Defined Functions (UDF) Limitations
Why are stored procedures more flexible? Here are the User Defined Functions (UDF) limitations: fewer input parameters, no GETDATE(), one result set, and more.
SQLAuthority News – Author Visit – Meeting with Readers – Top Three Features of SQL SERVER 2005
Over dinner in Las Vegas, two readers asked me to pick my top three features of SQL Server 2005 out of Microsoft’s top 30. Here is what I picked and why.
CTE Column Names: Rename Positions Without Moving Values
CTE column names rename positions without moving values. Compare inner aliases, report names and a misleading reversed list.
Which SQL Server Client Driver to Use Now
Choose a SQL Server client driver by application stack: ODBC, current OLE DB, Microsoft.Data.SqlClient, or JDBC, then test security defaults.
SQL SERVER – 2005 Limiting Result Sets by Using TABLESAMPLE – Examples
TABLESAMPLE returns a random sample of rows by percent or row count. My examples show why the same query returns a different number of rows each time.
SQL SERVER – 2005 Replace TEXT with VARCHAR(MAX) – Stop using TEXT, NTEXT, IMAGE Data Types
Is VARCHAR(MAX) big enough to hold TEXT? Yes. TEXT, NTEXT and IMAGE will be deprecated, so replace TEXT with VARCHAR(MAX) and use the new MAX data types.
SQL SERVER – 2005 Find Table without Clustered Index – Find Table with no Primary Key
A query on sys.indexes to find every table without clustered index in a database, why heaps can slow you down, and how to pick a clustered key.
SQL SERVER – Change Default Fill Factor For Index
The Default Fill Factor in SQL Server is 0. Change it with sp_configure to leave free space on index pages and reduce page splits. I like mine at 90.