Phil Factor explains cross database and cross-server references, how to find them in your code, and when it's better to avoid hard-coding these references and use synonyms instead. Read more
Phil Factor's "getting started" guide for turning all your trusted and most frequently used queries into SQL code snippets. Read more
Phil Factor answers some questions you've been itching to ask about SQL Prompt, covering ranked code completion suggestions and auto-fixing SQL code smells, and suggesting where in the tool to find other nuggets of hidden treasure. Read more
Phil Factor reviews the major features of SSMS IntelliSense and autocomplete and then explains how SQL Prompt fills in the gaps, and how to use to use the two in tandem to 'get the best of both worlds'. Read more
Everyone knows SQL Prompt for its code completion and IntelliSense features, but a lot of its extra value comes from features that allow the development team to standardize coding practices and drive up code quality. Read more
Phil Factor explains how to use Dynamic Management Views and Extended Events to track use of deprecated SQL Server syntax on working SQL Server databases, as well as SQL Prompt and SQL Change Automation to detect its use during database development. Read more
Louis Davidson provides a pair of SQL Prompt snippets that will help you deal with dependencies, whenever you need to drop columns or tables. Read more
There is no good reason for having ANSI_PADDING set to OFF when you create tables in SQL Server. It was provided purely for legacy databases that had code that assumed the old CHAR behavior for dealing with padding, and its use has now been deprecated. Read more
Phil Factor explains why an ORDER BY clause should always specify the sort columns using their names, or aliases, rather than using an integer to specify the position of a column in the SELECT list. Read more
Phil Factor explains the factors that determine whether a column will allow null values, if you don't specify it explicitly in the column definition. If you rely on the default behavior established by your connection settings, you could be in for some nasty surprises. Read more
