A light puzzle for April Fools’ Day: two division queries that look the same in SSMS. Will they return the same result, and why?
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SQL SERVER – sp_describe_first_result_set New System Stored Procedure in SQL Server 2012
SQL Server 2012 adds the new system stored procedure sp_describe_first_result_set. I try it on a query and a view to see what metadata it returns.
SQL SERVER – Online Index Rebuilding Index Improvement in SQL Server 2012
Online index rebuilding with VARCHAR(MAX) or NVARCHAR(MAX) columns failed in SQL Server 2008. SQL Server 2012 changes that, and here is my test.
SQL SERVER – Difference between DATABASEPROPERTY and DATABASEPROPERTYEX
What is the difference between DATABASEPROPERTY and DATABASEPROPERTYEX? I asked on Facebook, and here are the best answers from readers.
Compound Assignment Operators in SQL Server: SQL in Sixty Seconds #009
Compound assignment operators such as += and *= combine an operation with an assignment in T-SQL. The tests here run all eight operators on SQL Server 2025, and show how NULL, integer division, overflow, truncation and precedence change the result.
SQL SERVER – Right Aligning Numerics in SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS)
Numbers in SSMS results are hard to read when they do not line up. Right aligning numerics takes one query option, and I show where to find it.
Loading Partitions in Parallel
Loading partitions in parallel uses separate staging tables, controlled workers, and partition switching to publish data without chaotic locks.
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