Is there any difference between != and the ANSI operator for not equal to in SQL Server? A Facebook fan asked, and technically they work the same way.
SQL Server emergency? Email pinal@sqlauthority.com with URGENT in the subject line.
SQL SERVER – Check Database Level (IsNullConcat) and Session Level Settings (CONCAT_NULL_YIELDS_NULL) using T-SQL
A follow up on CONCAT_NULL_YIELDS_NULL: how to check the database level IsNullConcat setting and the session level setting using T-SQL.
Finding Encrypted Stored Procedures Before a Migration
Inventory encrypted stored procedures and other modules before migration, then recover their approved source and dependencies.
SQL SERVER – A Quick Note on CONCAT_NULL_YIELDS_NULL
A friend ran SET CONCAT_NULL_YIELDS_NULL OFF above every script to deal with NULL columns. Here is a quick note on what it does and what I think of it.
SQL SERVER – How to Refresh SSMS Intellisense Cache to Update Schema Changes
Dropped an index but SSMS still underlines it in red? Press CTRL + SHIFT + R to refresh the SSMS Intellisense cache and pick up your schema changes.
OPTIMIZED_SP_EXECUTESQL in SQL Server 2025: Fewer Compile Storms
Test OPTIMIZED_SP_EXECUTESQL in SQL Server 2025, inspect compilation counters and cached plans, and compare a concurrent workload.
Compare Showplan: Finding What Changed Between Two Plans
Compare Showplan shows where two plans differ, but not why. Here is a small before and after example you can run yourself.
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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.

