I came across the extended stored procedure xp_sscanf and could not find a real world use for it. Here is how it works. Can you tell me where to use it?
SQL Server emergency? Email pinal@sqlauthority.com with URGENT in the subject line.
SQL SERVER – Puzzle and Answer – REPLICATE over 8000 Characters
A quick Monday puzzle: what happens when you REPLICATE over 8000 characters into a VARCHAR(MAX) variable? Guess the lengths before you run it.
CONCAT_NULL_YIELDS_NULL and CONCAT: How NULL Behaves in Strings
The CONCAT_NULL_YIELDS_NULL setting decides whether a string plus NULL returns NULL. The CONCAT function never looks at it and treats NULL as an empty string. This post tests both on a customer table, shows the errors the OFF setting causes, and gives safe patterns for names and numbers.
GO Is Not T-SQL: Batches, Variable Scope and GO With a Count
Learn why GO is not T-SQL, how batches reset variable scope, what GO 3 repeats, and how applications should send scripts safely.
SQL SERVER – Adding Column Defaulting to Current Datetime in Table
How do you add a column that fills in the current datetime when a row is inserted? A sample table and a column with a default value that does it for you.
Connection Pooling Problems: Timeouts, Leaks and Max Pool Size
Diagnose connection pooling timeouts with session counts, sleeping activity, open transactions, and client settings that divide pools.
Reseed an Identity Column in SQL Server: SQL in Sixty Seconds #051
To reseed an identity column, run DBCC CHECKIDENT with the RESEED option. The tests here show which value comes next after existing rows, DELETE and TRUNCATE, and what happens when the new value collides with a key.
SQL Server slow? Let's fix it together in about four hours.
In my Comprehensive Database Performance Health Check, you share your screen, I guide you, and we fix your biggest performance troublemakers. No passwords. No remote access.
You keep every script, and the know-how to fix it yourself next time.
Want your whole team to learn it?
My Practical Workshop has no PowerPoint, just live demos. My AI Enablement Workshop shows your team where AI saves hours, and where it quietly costs them.
Over 400 customers have worked with me this way, and not one shared a password. See all consulting options.