Gouache painting of four identical jars of preserves on a shelf, one filled with vermilion jam

Identify SQL Server Version From a Backup File

To identify SQL Server version from a backup file, run RESTORE HEADERONLY and read DatabaseVersion and SoftwareVersionMajor. This post makes a demo backup, reads its header, and maps the numbers to products. It also shows how to compare the backup with your server in T-SQL, and why a header sometimes fails to read on an older server.

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Gouache painting of a small test loaf in a vermilion paper cup beside a full loaf in a tin

Temporary Stored Procedures in SQL Server: Local and Global

Temporary stored procedures start with one # sign for a local one and two for a global one, and both live in tempdb. This post creates each kind on a demo database, shows who can call them and when they disappear, and explains which database their object names resolve in. It ends with the habit that makes them useful for testing a rewrite.

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