Columnar, Graph and Spatial Databases are three data models built for three kinds of questions: totals over many rows, paths through relationships, and distances between places. This post explains each one and builds all three in SQL Server 2025 with columnstore, graph tables and the geography type.
SQL SERVER – Beginning SQL 2012 – Spatial Unions and Collections
Aggregates are not just for sales totals. Much like a jigsaw puzzle, spatial unions assemble land coordinates together. Learn spatial unions and collections in SQL 2012.
Draw Pictures with T-SQL: The SSMS Spatial Results Tab
The SSMS Spatial results tab draws every geometry value a query returns. This post draws a house and a tree with STGeomFromText and STBuffer, explains labels and the 5,000 object limit, and checks store service areas for overlaps and gaps.
SQL SERVER – Validating Spatial Object as NULL using IsNULL
How do spatial functions handle NULL? I show two ways of validating a spatial object as NULL: the IsNULL method, which returns 0 or NULL, and IsValidDetailed.
SQL SERVER – Validating Spatial Object with IsValidDetailed Function
Invalid spatial objects used to give only a simple error. The IsValidDetailed function tells you whether a shape is valid and, when it is not, the reason why.
SQL SERVER – Finding Shortest Distance between Two Shapes using Spatial Data Classes – Ramsetu or Adam’s Bridge
Using ShortestLineTo in SQL Server spatial data classes, I find the shortest distance between two shapes, with a fun Ramsetu, or Adam’s Bridge, example.
geometry STAsBinary: Carry the SRID Beside the WKB
geometry STAsBinary exports a geometry as WKB, while reconstruction takes a separate spatial reference identifier. I carry that identifier beside the bytes. Supplying a different identifier creates a differently tagged value from the same exported coordinates.