A procedure with owner rights can write to tables its caller cannot touch. Watch the identity change, and see how one careless parameter hands out too much.
What Is XML in SQL Server: Tags, Attributes and Well-Formed Rules
What is XML in SQL Server? It’s plain text where every value carries its own label. This post turns four plant rows into XML with FOR XML RAW, names the parts of a document, and shows the errors SQL Server returns when a rule is broken.
TRY CATCH Block in SQL Server: Plan A, Plan B and the Rollback
A TRY CATCH block runs Plan A and falls back to Plan B when Plan A raises an error. This post shows that CATCH runs only after an error, that severity 11 is the line between a message and an error, and that one ROLLBACK undoes a nested transaction completely. Every result comes from SQL Server 2025.
Raise Your Own Error in SQL Server: When Valid Code Breaks a Rule
Raise your own error in SQL Server when a valid statement breaks a rule you care about. This post shows three errors SQL Server raises itself, one error that depends on what exists in the database, and how RAISERROR and THROW turn an update of zero rows into a clear message. Every result comes from SQL Server 2025.
Function That Returns a Table: Table Valued Functions
A function that returns a table works like a view that takes parameters. This post builds inline table valued functions over a small product table, compares them with a view and a scalar function, uses them with CROSS APPLY, and shows the two common mistakes with parentheses. Every result comes from SQL Server 2025.
Backing Up the Service Master Key and Database Master Keys
A database backup does not carry the key that opens your encrypted data. Export both keys, restore one from its file, and see why the password matters.
Pass a Table to a Stored Procedure With a Table Type
To pass a table to a stored procedure, you create a table type and declare a parameter of that type. This post builds a type, a procedure and a call that inserts three classes at once, then a call that inserts a thousand rows, and explains four common errors. Every result comes from SQL Server 2025.