My T-SQL Tuesday #004 post on how a covered index can improve performance by reducing IO. Run the demo on a test server only, never on production.
ATN2: Keep the Quadrant When Calculating an Angle
ATN2 uses two components to calculate an angle while retaining its quadrant. I keep the argument order and angle unit visible. Dividing one component by the other would lose useful information and introduce a zero-denominator case.
SQL SERVER – Order of Columns in Update Statement Does not Matter
Does the order of columns in UPDATE statements matter? No. Setting Col1 before Col2 or the other way round gives the same result in SQL Server.
SQL SERVER – Rollback TRUNCATE Command in Transaction
Many believe TRUNCATE cannot be rolled back. It can. Here is a Rollback TRUNCATE command example inside a transaction, and why TRUNCATE is logged.
SQL SERVER – Performance Comparison – INSERT TOP (N) INTO Table – Using Top with INSERT
A Performance Comparison of INSERT TOP (N) INTO a table versus INSERT with SELECT TOP (N). The first is clearly faster, but the two can give very different results.
SQL SERVER – Data and Page Compressions – Data Storage and IO Improvement
SQL Server 2008 data and page compressions cut disk space and I/O. I explain ROW and PAGE compression and how to set them on tables, indexes and partitions.
SQL SERVER – INSERT TOP (N) INTO Table – Using Top with INSERT
INSERT TOP (N) INTO a table is not the same as INSERT with SELECT TOP (N). My example from a client training shows how the two methods differ.