To delete duplicate records safely, look at them first. The tests here find the duplicates, preview the rows that will go, delete all but the newest copy inside one transaction and add a unique index so they cannot return. Every query ran on SQL Server 2025.
Concat Strings in SQL Server: SQL in Sixty Seconds #035
To concat strings in SQL Server, use the + operator or the CONCAT function. The tests here show what each one does with NULL, numbers and dates, how the 8000 character limit cuts a result, and when CONCAT_WS or STRING_AGG is the better tool.
Copy Data from One Table to Another in SQL Server: SQL in Sixty Seconds #031
To copy data from one table to another, use INSERT…SELECT for an existing table or SELECT…INTO for a new one. The tests here show what SELECT…INTO carries over and what it drops, the errors you can hit, and a quick way to check the copy.
SQL Server Connection Errors: SQL in Sixty Seconds #030
SQL Server connection errors have a different message for each cause. The tests here trigger seven of them against a local SQL Server 2025 instance, show what the client says, what the ERRORLOG records, and how to find the port an instance listens on.
Get Date and Time Separately in SQL Server: SQL in Sixty Seconds #025
You can get date and time separately from a datetime value in two ways: formatted text or real DATE and TIME values. The tests here show how each one sorts, filters and fails, and which one to keep in your code.
Insert Multiple Rows in SQL Server: SQL in Sixty Seconds #024
To insert multiple rows in SQL Server, use separate INSERT statements, UNION ALL or one VALUES list. The tests here compare all three on SQL Server 2025, including failures, the 1,000 row limit and the time for 1,000 rows.
SQL SERVER – Color Coding SQL Server Management Studio Status Bar – SQL in Sixty Seconds #023 – Video
Color code the SQL Server Management Studio status bar so you always know which server you are on before you run a script. A quick video.