Numeral systems can be fascinating. In everyday programming, we are now becoming quite insulated from the need to convert between binary numbers and their representation, so it is a novelty to try out ways of doing it in SQL, and experiment with other number systems from the past.… Read more
Robyn and Phil start by writing a gentle introduction to using Regular expressions for validation, data cleaning and data import in TSQL, and finally end up with a routine for doing google-style searches that show the context of hits. It's all done in the spirit of 'try it and see...'… Read more
In SQL Reporting Services, the native Matrix control provides a crosstab view of data, similar in behavior to a PivotTable in MS Excel. Rows and columns will have intersecting points of data which is often useful in time based reporting . David Liebowitz shows you how...… Read more
In Reporting Services, It is not difficult to provide flexible grouping and to display the detail records in a drill-down on-demand method. It is more difficult to combine custom ranking and aggregations on filtered table groups in table based reports. David Leibowitz shows you how.… Read more
Robyn and Phil return with some fresh ideas about how to import text files into SQL Server, without resorting to DTS or SSIS scripting. They go on to show how much can be done in TSQL … Read more
SQL Service Broker, an asynchronous queuing and messaging system for SQL Server 2005, is set to change the way we design and run distributed applications. Adam Machanic once more makes it all seem so easy in Part 2 of his epic series... … Read more
Often, the quickest way to determine whether you have missing data in a table such a ledger or journal is to see if there are gaps in the dates where one wouldn't expect them. But how do you do that in an emergency, particularly in a large table, when every minute counts?
… Read more
Login Triggers were quietly introduced in SP2 to tighten up the security features of SQL Server to comply with the latest industry standards for security. But you can meet a lot of the security requirements even without them! … Read more
In TSQL there is a limit to the way you can compare text strings. They're either equal or not. Sooner or later, usually when cleaning data, something more subtle is required!… Read more
Allen White shows how to use Visual Basic to create simple routines that use SMO for inserting and deleting jobs from SQL Server Agent and for creating or deleting stored procedures in SQL Server. … Read more
One day, you may need to change those service credentials under which your SQL Server services normally run. If you have a number of servers, then you'll really want to read about Rodney's solution.… Read more
In the latest in their popular series on 'Unit Testing' database development work , Alex K and Alex S give some examples of unit testing Database Modifications… Read more
SQL Refactor is well-known as a way of formatting, and beautifying, SQL Code from within SSMS, but few users seem to be aware of the Table-Splitting wizard. This wizard is explained by another, András Belokosztolszki.… Read more
When reading rating information, how do you you knew how many points each separate voter gave if you only know the average rating and the number of votes? Well, you might be surprised to learn that you can figure it out using SQL
… Read more
Alex and Alex continue their series of articles on 'Unit Testing' database development work with some examples of unit testing stored procedures.… Read more
SQL Service Broker, an asynchronous queuing and messaging system for SQL Server 2005, is set to change the way we design and run distributed applications. Adam Machanic makes it all seem so easy...… Read more
Simon Sabin explains why he is always cagey about giving advice on the sort of hardware to run SQL Server on, but admits to some general rules.… Read more
When IT starts to stand for 'Implement This', even the keenest DBA begins to dream of farming Alpacas as a career-change.
...and we ask our readers how they would have solved the DBA's dilemma.… Read more
If you tend to just nod gravely and stay silent when SQL Server Reporting Services is mentioned, here is your opportunity to get up to speed with one of the more important technologies associated with SQL Server.… Read more
