A puzzle for you: why does converting money to decimal throw Msg 8115, an arithmetic overflow error, when you cast 12345.67 as DECIMAL(5,2)? Share your answer.
SQL SERVER – Challenge – Puzzle – Usage of FAST Hint
When does the FAST hint help? It asks SQL Server to return the first rows quickly, yet my tests showed no change in time. Can you find a good example?
SQL SERVER – Concat Function in SQL Server – SQL Concatenation
Is there a CONCAT function in SQL Server? An attendee said MySQL and Oracle have one. I show how the plus operator joins strings, numbers and column values.
geometry STIsEmpty: Empty Shapes Are Different From SQL NULL
geometry STIsEmpty tests whether an existing spatial instance has an empty point set. I keep that condition separate from SQL NULL. A missing database value and a present empty geometry are different inputs.
SQLAuthority News – SQLPASS Nov 8-11, 2010-Seattle – An Alternative Look at Experience
SQLPASS 2010 in Seattle was the best summit ever. Instead of the usual event report, here is an alternative look at my trip, travel stats and fun moments.
LIKE Cardinality: String Statistics and Row Estimates
LIKE row estimates depend on the pattern, string statistics and compilation context. Compare estimated and actual matching rows in a controlled distribution, while keeping cardinality estimates separate from the chosen access path.
SQL SERVER – Change Database Access to Single User Mode Using SSMS
I showed before how to set single user mode with T-SQL before a backup. You can also set single user mode using SSMS, from the database properties page.