The MONEY data type confuses the storage of data values with their display, though its name clearly suggests the sort of data it holds. It is proprietary to SQL Server and allows you to specify monetary values preceded by a currency symbol, but SQL Server doesn’t store any currency information at all with the actual Read more
We can use SELECT…INTO in SQL Server to create a new table from a table source. SQL Server uses the attributes of the expressions in the SELECT list to define the structure of the new table. Prior to SQL Server 2005, use of SELECT…INTO in production code was a performance ‘code smell’ because it acquired Read more
In this article, I’ll discuss how I use the SQL Prompt actions that you can apply as part of the Format SQL command. These actions are designed to help improve the overall quality of your SQL code, in various subtle but meaningful ways, such as qualifying object names, standardizing the use of aliases, adding semicolons Read more
Most of us in the data management industry will have learned to adapt, in recent years, to ‘agile’ development and deployment practices. Many organizations have invested heavily in the tools and processes they hope will allow them to deliver new functionality to users more frequently and reliably, while also maintaining quality standards. To achieve this, Read more
It used to be that the EXISTS logical operator was faster than IN, when comparing data sets using a subquery. For example, in cases where the query had to perform a certain task, but only if the subquery returned any rows, then when evaluating WHERE EXISTS (subquery), the database engine could quit searching as Read more
Do not use a scalar user-defined function (UDF) in a JOIN condition, WHERE search condition, or in a SELECT list, unless the function is schema-bound. Scalar UDFs are often used without a parameter to return a global constant: Unless you need to use these as constants in computed columns or constraints, it is generally safer Read more
Snippets are a great feature of SQL Prompt. They save coding time, and introduce standards and consistency to the way you build code modules. They have multiple replacement points (placeholders) for parameters, and you can invoke them directly from an SSMS query pane. SQL Prompt also comes with many useful built-in snippets, but sometimes we Read more
SQL Prompt’s Code Analysis feature helps you discover code issues and hidden pitfalls during code development, as you type. It also provides tips for improving your code, and includes links to documentation that offers advice on the about each of the supported rules, so you can decide on the best course of action. This is Read more
Inherited a database from another team? Changed your team policy on the way that you format SQL? What’s to stop you formatting the code of an entire database nicely, when you’re developing it? It can be done, but the process can take longer than you expect. This article will demonstrate a simple 3-step approach to Read more
When writing functions or procedures, a common chore is to devise and implement the tests that ensure that the routine always works as expected. The best way to do this is to define the tests in a batch that is attached to the CREATE or ALTER script. This isn’t just to prevent you from making Read more
