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Apr27

SQL SERVER – Query to Retrieve the Nth Maximum Value

Pinal Dave
SQL Tips and Tricks
SQL Function, SQL Joins, SQL Scripts, SQL Server
63 Comments

Finding the nth Maximum Value means deciding how ties should count. Here, I rank distinct known salaries.

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Apr27

SQL SERVER – Locking Hints with Correct Scope and Safe Examples

Pinal Dave
SQL Tips and Tricks
SQL Lock, SQL Scripts, SQL Server
185 Comments

Locking Hints change how a table reference participates in locking. I choose the required consistency before changing the query.

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Apr27

SQL SERVER – SELECT vs. SET Performance Comparison

Pinal Dave
SQL Performance
SQL Download, SQL Scripts, SQL Server Security
11 Comments

SELECT vs. SET for local variables: SELECT can assign several at once and runs faster in a loop, while SET is the ANSI standard and assigns one at a time.

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Apr26

SQL SERVER – Difference Between Unique Index vs Unique Constraint

Pinal Dave
SQL Tips and Tricks
SQL Constraint and Keys, SQL Index, SQL Scripts
56 Comments

Unique Index vs Unique Constraint: is there a difference? No. A unique constraint creates a unique index, and performance is the same. Syntax for both.

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Apr26

SQL SERVER – Enable xp_cmdshell using sp_configure

Pinal Dave
SQL Tips and Tricks
PowerShell, SQL Scripts, SQL Server, SQL Server Configuration, SQL Server Security, SQL Stored Procedure, SQL Utility
52 Comments

Enable xp_cmdshell with sp_configure: turn on show advanced options, set xp_cmdshell to 1 and run RECONFIGURE. The full script is ready to run in SSMS.

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Apr26

Bitwise Flags: Test, Add and Toggle Individual Bits

Pinal Dave
SQL Tips and Tricks
SQL Datatype, SQL Function, SQL Scripts
No Comments

Bitwise flags use AND to test, OR to add and XOR to toggle a mask. Keep flag meanings explicit and preserve missing values in read-only examples.

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Apr25

SQL SERVER – Alternate Fix : ERROR 1222 : Lock request time out period exceeded

Pinal Dave
SQL Tips and Tricks
SQL Error Messages, SQL Lock, SQL Server, SQL Server Security
20 Comments

ERROR 1222: Lock request time out period exceeded. Find the blocking transaction with DMVs, and what to change when you are not allowed to kill it.

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Pinal Dave

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Who We Are

Pinal Dave is an SQL Server Performance Tuning Expert and independent consultant with over 24 years of hands-on experience. He holds a Masters of Science degree and numerous database certifications.

Pinal has authored 19 books and 125 Pluralsight courses. To freely share his knowledge and help others build their expertise, Pinal has also written more than 5,800 database tech articles on his blog at https://blog.sqlauthority.com.

Pinal is also a CrossFit Level 1 Trainer (CF-L1) and CrossFit Level 2 Trainer (CF-L2).


Nupur Dave is a social media enthusiast and an independent consultant. She primarily focuses on the database domain, helping clients build short and long-term multi-channel campaigns to drive leads for their sales pipeline.


Shaivi Pinalkumar Dave is a book author and a women’s artistic gymnast.

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