Read a SQL Server error message by separating its number, severity, state, procedure, and line, then preserve the context needed to investigate.
SQL SERVER – Recovery Models and Selection
SQL Server offers three recovery models: full, simple and bulk-logged. Here is when to select each one, based on how much data loss you can accept.
Normalization Jokes and the Normal Forms They Make Fun Of
Normalization jokes are funny because they are true. Here are the classics in my own words, and the first three normal forms they poke fun at.
SQL SERVER – LEN and DATALENGTH of NULL Simple Example
A common mistake is checking LEN(@var) = 0 for a NULL value. LEN and DATALENGTH of NULL both return NULL, not zero, as this simple example shows.
SQL SERVER – Cannot Resolve Collation Conflict For Equal to Operation
A collation conflict means character expressions use incompatible comparison rules. I choose the intended rules before applying COLLATE.
SQL SERVER – 2005 T-SQL Paging Query Technique Comparison (OVER and ROW_NUMBER()) – CTE vs. Derived Table
Paging in SQL Server 2005 with ROW_NUMBER: CTE vs. derived table. I compare both methods and show they give the same performance for common queries.
SQL SERVER – Retrieve – Select Only Date Part From DateTime – Best Practice
Selecting the date part and formatting it are different tasks. I keep typed dates for calculations and text for display.