A reader wanted a script to remove spaces from every column name in all tables. Here it is, with a warning first: renaming columns can break your application.
max_length in sys.columns: Bytes, Not Characters
Your generated column came out twice as wide as the original. Here is why max_length counts bytes and how to turn it back into a real declaration.
Metadata-Only Column Changes: Which ALTER COLUMN Is Instant
Six ALTER statements look equally small, but their log cost is not. Here is how to measure each one before the change window.
Column Aliases: Where You Can Use Them and Where You Cannot
Why does WHERE say the alias does not exist? Here is the order SQL Server follows, two clean fixes and one quiet trap to avoid.
Designing Your First Table: Columns, Keys and Data Types
Designing Your First Table gets easier when you decide what it must hold before you write any SQL. This post walks through naming, data types, NULL or NOT NULL, a primary key, a default and a check constraint on a small Customers table. It also shows what to leave for later.
Rows, Columns and Tables: How a Database Holds Information
Rows, Columns and Tables are the three ideas behind every relational database. A table holds one kind of thing, a column describes one fact about it, and a row records one item. This post builds a small Books table in SQL Server and reads it back by row and by column.
Adding a NOT NULL Column With a Default to a Big Table
Add a NOT NULL column with a default safely, distinguish metadata changes from row updates, and plan a staged Standard edition rollout.