What are filegroups in SQL Server? A filegroup is a named container for data files, and an ordinary table or index lives in exactly one. This post builds a small demo, shows where a table lands, and gives honest advice on when extra filegroups help and when they only add work.
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Data Files and Log Files: What Each One Does in SQL Server
Data Files and Log Files are the two kinds of file every SQL Server database needs. This post explains what lives in each, why the log is written first, and how to list both with a query on sys.database_files.
What Is a Foreign Key, and What It Protects
What is a foreign key? It’s a column that must match a key in another table, and SQL Server refuses any value that has no match. This post shows the error it raises, the ON DELETE options, and why the foreign key column needs an index of its own.
SQL Code Generators: Let SSMS Write the Script for You
SQL Code Generators in SSMS turn clicks into T-SQL. This post shows the Script button on dialogs, the Generate Scripts wizard and Select Top 1000 Rows, plus the checks I run before I trust a generated script.
Using Management Studio: A First Tour of SSMS 22
Using Management Studio gets easier once you know where to look. This first tour of SSMS 22 covers the connection dialog, Object Explorer, the query window, running a query, reading the results and saving a .sql file, with one small demo script to follow along.
Converting Deprecated TEXT, NTEXT and IMAGE Columns Safely
Inventory deprecated TEXT, NTEXT and IMAGE columns, convert to MAX types, move small values in row, and measure logging and space costs.
SQL Code Comments: Notes Your Future Self Can Read
SQL Code Comments are the notes SQL Server skips and your teammates read. This post shows the two comment styles, what is worth writing in them, a header block for scripts and procedures, and how to stop a comment from lying after the code changes.
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