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Product articles
SQL Prompt SQL Code Analysis
Questions about SQL Prompt you were too shy to ask
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 moreTracking use of Deprecated SQL Server Features
Phil Factor explains how to use SQL Prompt, or SQL Change Automation, to detect use of deprecated SQL Server syntax, during development, and Dynamic Management Views and Extended Events to track its use on working databases. Read moreNever Create Columns with ANSI_PADDING set to OFF
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 moreAvoid using constants in an ORDER BY clause
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 moreWhy you Should Always Specify Whether a Column Accepts Nulls
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 moreThe Dangers of using Float or Real Datatypes
Floating point datatypes accommodate very big numbers but sacrifice precision. They are handy for some types of scientific calculations, but are dangerous when used more widely, because they can introduce big rounding errors. Read moreChanging SET options in a Procedure or Trigger leads to Recompilation (PE012)
Phil Factor delves into SQL Prompt's performance rule, PE012, which will advise you if it detects the use of the SET statements within a stored procedure or trigger, which might cause unnecessary recompilations, though the issue extends to other types of batches. Read moreFinding Correlated Rows Using EXISTS or COUNT
Should you always useEXISTS rather than COUNT when checking for the existence of any correlating rows that match your criteria? Does the former really offer "superior performance and readability". Louis Davidson investigates. Read more
