Over dinner in Las Vegas, two readers asked me to pick my top three features of SQL Server 2005 out of Microsoft’s top 30. Here is what I picked and why.
What Is NULL in SQL Server? The Value That Isn’t a Value
NULL in SQL Server is not zero and not an empty string. It means the value is unknown, and that changes every comparison you write. Why equals never matches, the NOT IN trap that returns nothing, and where NULL is allowed to live.
Replacing @@ERROR Checks With TRY CATCH in Old Procedures
Replace fragile @@ERROR checks with TRY CATCH, transaction state checks, and THROW while preserving clear failure information for callers.
Data Types That Waste Space
Data types that waste space include oversized integers, blanket nvarchar(max), and unnecessary datetime2 precision; measure before changing.
Index Optimization Checklist: A Printable One-Page Guide
The twelve things I ask a junior DBA to check before I touch a slow query, with three quick proofs you can run yourself.
What Is a Heap in SQL Server?
A heap in SQL Server is a table with no clustered index. Forwarded records pushed one count from 11,113 reads to 199,844, and a single REBUILD put it back. When a heap is fine and when it is not.
SQL SERVER – Copy Column Headers in Query Analyzers in Result Set
To copy column headers with your results in Query Analyzer, set Results to Text, Tab Delimited and turn on Print column headers in Options. Video included.