Build a query in two phases: organize first, itemize second. Phase one gets the tables, joins and filter working with SELECT *, and phase two swaps the star for a column list. This post shows the method on a small branch and staff table, and the three errors it helps you avoid.
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Finding Apostrophes in SQL Server Text: Straight and Curly
Finding apostrophes in SQL Server text takes one trick and one trap. The trick is doubling the quote inside a LIKE pattern. The trap is that text can hold a curly apostrophe, and the usual search skips it. This post tests both on a table of eight shop names.
Special Characters in a LIKE Pattern: Which Ones Are Wildcards
Special characters in a LIKE pattern can match the wrong rows, because three symbols mean more than themselves. This post tests every common symbol on one small table. It shows how to search for a percent sign, an underscore and a bracket, and why a space in the pattern counts.
Wildcard Basics in SQL Server: How LIKE Patterns Work
Wildcard basics for SQL Server: how LIKE works with %, _, sets and ranges, shown on one small table of last names. It also covers the mistakes with equal signs and sets, case and accents in ranges, and matching a wildcard literally. Every result comes from SQL Server 2025.
Large IN Lists: When a Temp Table Beats Thousands of Values
Pasting thousands of IDs into an IN list works, until it does not. See where the time goes and how to keep the answer the same with a temp table.
SQL SERVER – The Difficult Interview Question – Moment of the Life – Day 31 of 31
The last day of my interview series is about the difficult interview question: acing an interview is sometimes about personality and reasoning, not only right answers.
SQL SERVER – Interview Questions and Answers – Guest Post by Jacob Sebastian – Day 30 of 31
SQL Server MVP Jacob Sebastian, author of The Art of XSD, adds his own interview questions and answers to the series in this guest post.
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