IS DISTINCT FROM compares nullable values without inventing a sentinel. Test two NULLs, one NULL and changed values, then use the predicate to find transitions that ordinary equality can miss.
SQL Server emergency? Email pinal@sqlauthority.com with URGENT in the subject line.
GTIN-13 Check Digits: Validate the Final Digit in a CHECK Constraint
A GTIN-13 check digit validates a weighted checksum, not product identity. Test complete ASCII input, leading zeros and the final digit in a CHECK constraint, then see why some digit swaps still pass.
SQL Server Execution Plan Quiz: One Table, Two Operators
One table reference can produce Nested Loops, a Key Lookup and parallel operators in an execution plan. A controlled SQL example makes the work visible and shows why MAXDOP is a ceiling rather than a promise of parallel execution.
Late-Arriving Dimension Rows: Inferred Members in a Data Warehouse
Handle a late-arriving dimension with inferred members, preserve fact keys, fill attributes later, and report unresolved placeholders.
SQL SERVER – Pending IO request in SQL Server – DMV
How many pending IO requests are there for each MDF and LDF file? My handy script joins sys.dm_io_pending_io_requests with virtual file stats.
LocalDB: SQL Server on a Developer’s Laptop
LocalDB runs SQL Server Express engine features in a developer-friendly local process; learn how to start, connect, and recognize its limits.
SQL SERVER – Finding Latch Statistics
Which latches are waiting and for how long? The DMV sys.dm_os_latch_stats lets you find latch statistics with one simple query ordered by wait time.
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