Once data is in a table it needs to be maintained. New records will need to be added, and existing records will need to be updated, and/or deleted. To keep data maintained, the insert, update or delete actions may need to be performed. This article will show how those three data manipulation language (DML) actions can be synchronized together within a single basic MERGE statement.… Read more
In this article, I want to talk about a topic that you may never need. The only time I have really had need to look at the bits in a byte pattern. In (what is now) ancient versions of SQL Server didn't have such self-describing columns like in its metadata objects like it does now.… Read more
If only the entire world used UTC, wouldn’t life be so much easier? We can dream, can’t we? While some software applications can live in an ecosystem where all dates and times can be stored in a single time zone with no conversions needed, many cannot. As applications grow and interact more with international customers, … Read more
Over time data in SQL Server tables needs to be modified. There are two major different aspects of modifying data: updating and deleting. In my last article “Updating SQL Server Data” I discussed using the UPDATE statement to change data in existing rows of a SQL Server table. In this article I will be demonstrating … Read more
Once data is inserted into a table, data typically needs to be maintained as time goes on. To make changes to an existing row or a number of rows, in a table, the UPDATE statement is used. This article shows how to use the UPDATE statement to modify data within a SQL Server table. Syntax … Read more
Before data can be read from of a SQL Server database table, the table needs to contain rows of data. One of the most typical ways to get data into a table is to use the INSERT statement. One row or multiple rows can be inserted with a single execution of an INSERT statement. You … Read more
In order to test graph structures, I needed a large set of random data. In some ways, this data will resemble the IMDB database I will include later in this chapter, but to make it one, controllable in size and two, random, I created this random dataset. I loaded a set of values for an … Read more
During Build 2022, Microsoft announced a new feature, Datamarts for Power BI. MVP Dennes Torres explains this new feature and provides and example. … Read more
The SSRS database contains a wealth of undocumented information that can help administrators. In this article, Edward Pollack explains how to get to the data and ways to use it.… Read more
SQL Server has many features to keep the database secure, but you must implement them to benefit. In this article, Priyanka Chouhan describes how to do a vulnerability assessment of SQL Server.… Read more
Topic modeling can be used to find more detailed insights into text than a word cloud can provide. Sanil Mhatre walks you through an example using Python.… Read more
There are several common challenges when creating paginated reports from Power BI datasets. In this article, Adam Aspin explains how to work around several of these issues.… Read more
To guarantee the order of a result set, you must use an ORDER BY clause. In this article, Greg Larsen explains what you need to know about ORDER BY.… Read more
