A fresh statistic can still come from a small sample. Compare rows with rows_sampled and see how a sample misjudges a rare value.
SQL Server emergency? Email pinal@sqlauthority.com with URGENT in the subject line.
Change Join Type for a Query: HASH, LOOP and MERGE Hints
To change join type for a query, add one of three hints to its OPTION clause. This post runs one join with each hint on two filters and compares the join type and the logical reads. It shows that no join type is best in general, and what a join hint in the FROM clause does to the join order.
Line Endings: CHAR(13), CHAR(10) and Files From Other Systems
Why does a value that looks perfect fail a compare? Because of a line ending you cannot see. Five small demos make it visible.
SQL Puzzle – Unsolved CASE Expression
This Unsolved CASE puzzle asks you to predict its result before execution. The preceding bitwise challenge drew more than 125 responses.
SQL SERVER – Change Password at the First Login
MUST_CHANGE requires a SQL-authenticated login to change password at its first connection. Policy options and the client workflow must support it.
SQL SERVER – AdHoc Queries and Optimize for Adhoc Workloads
Optimize for AdHoc Queries reduces the first-use plan-cache footprint of ad hoc batches. A customer variable-query workload prompted testing.
Handling Duplicate Key Errors 2627 and 2601 in a CATCH Block
Handle duplicate key errors 2627 and 2601 in TRY CATCH, preserve unexpected errors, and avoid racing existence checks during inserts.
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