The APP_NAME() function returns the application name of the current session. See what it returns in SSMS and how it helps you audit where data comes from.
SQL SERVER – Converting Standard SSMS File Results to Delimited – Notes from the Field #085
Clients sometimes send files made with Results To File in SSMS. Kevin shows how to convert standard SSMS file results to delimited data you can load.
MONTH, DATEPART and DATENAME: Getting Month Names and Numbers Right
Use DATENAME for month labels, compare MONTH and DATEPART, control language and culture, and group sales without combining different years.
Interview Question of the Week #018 – Script to Remove Special Characters – Script to Parse Alpha Numerics
Remove special characters with a corrected SQL Server loop and a 2025 regex expression, while defining ASCII and collation rules.
SQL SERVER – Generate Different Random Number for Each Group Using RAND() Function
The RAND() function returns the same value for every row in a query. Here is a simple trick to generate a different random number for each group.
SQL SERVER – Split Comma Separated List Without Using a Function
I have shown how to build a comma separated list many times. This time a reader wanted the reverse: split a comma separated list into rows without a function.
SQL SERVER – Walking the Table Hierarchy in Microsoft SQL Server Database – Notes from the Field #076
Kevin Hazzard shows how to walk the table hierarchy in a SQL Server database using the catalog, so you know the right order to load or clear tables.