One of the poor practices that I see so many people doing in code is using SELECT *. This is poor practice because it takes more time to complete for clients, it’s an unnecessary use of resources on the client, server and network, and it can fill the buffer cache with rarely-used data. For... Read more
Working in a large database can be difficult at times. While many of us might learn the meanings and definitions of most objects, it’s easy to forget the exact ways in which some objects work, or what the behavior is in certain calls. This is one place where having tools that assist you like... Read more
A good DBA will automate repetitive tasks, but sometimes you need to troubleshoot a problem ‘live’, with people standing over you, and the pressure on. This is something that can’t be automated. SQL Prompt snippets have helped me out in this sort of situation numerous times. Built-in SSMS query shortcuts SSMS provides a few... Read more
SQL Prompt includes a number of snippets by default that can help you quickly write T-SQL code. These are templates of code that users use regularly. One of the more popular snippets is the ‘cdb’ snippet that helps with quickly creating a new database for development work. This can also be used to ensure... Read more
When writing SQL, you can use SQL Prompt to quickly jump to some really handy formatting and refactoring actions. This little button right here is called the Actions List and it contains over 20 functions and snippets you can use in just a few keystrokes. Simply highlight your block of code and hit Ctrl,... Read more
Some SQL coding habits are just annoying. Commas in front of column names? No way! Others are actively harmful; they’ll make your code error prone, harder for others to read and understand, and even harder to edit without making mistakes. This article covers five harmful problems that I see regularly in T-SQL code, and... Read more
SQL Prompt includes a number of snippets by default that can help you quickly write T-SQL code. These are templates of code that users use regularly. One of the more popular snippets is the “ii” snippet that helps with inserting data into a table. If I type “ii” and hit tab, I quickly get... Read more
Any database developer or DBA who spends much of their working week staring at SQL code quickly becomes set in their ways. They like to see the code laid out in a very particular way. They will struggle to look at, let alone digest and understand, code formatted in a ‘foreign’ style. It’s also... Read more
One of the great things about SQL Prompt is that it quickly removes the need to use so many keystrokes. That’s helpful and handy, but to become a really efficient T-SQL coder, you’ll want to practice incorporating a few tricks into your routine. Here’s a good one. Often I run into tables and can’t... Read more
