I finally used my expiring Prometric voucher to take Exam 70-433, MCTS: SQL Server 2008 Database Development. Here is how it went at the test center.
SQL SERVER – Default Statistics on Column – Automatic Statistics on Column
Does a column need an index to have statistics? No. A quick demo shows automatic statistics on column data when AUTO_CREATE_STATISTICS is on.
Count Distinct Pairs: Keep the Columns Together
Count distinct pairs by keeping their columns together. A small T-SQL example shows why concatenated labels can collide. Choose whether incomplete pairs belong in the count.
SIGN: Classify Positive, Negative and Zero Values
SIGN describes which side of zero an amount occupies. Preserve the original quantity and distinguish a zero value from missing input.
SQLAuthority News – Guest Post – SELECT * FROM XML – Jacob Sebastian
Getting NULL when reading a value from XML? Most of the time the XPath expression is wrong. A guest post by Jacob Sebastian on writing it correctly.
geometry STIsValid: Parsed Shapes Still Need a Validity Check
geometry STIsValid checks whether a spatial instance satisfies the validity rules for its geometry type. I use two parsed lines to separate those questions. Successful construction alone does not establish that a shape is valid.
How to Learn a New SQL Server Release Quickly
Evaluate new SQL Server features with a focused reading plan, version checks, three relevant experiments, and a record of operational tradeoffs.