Robert Sheldon TSQL User-Defined Functions: Ten Questions You Were Too Shy To Ask SQL Server User-Defined Functions are good to use in most circumstances, but there just a few questions that rarely get... 19 May 2014 31 min read
Robert Sheldon SQL Server XML Questions You Were Too Shy To Ask Sometimes, XML seems a bewildering convention that offers solutions to problems that the average database user doesn't have. To make... 22 April 2014 26 min read
Dwain Camps High Performance Relational Division in SQL Server Relational division is used in SQL to select rows that conform to a number of different criteria. It is a... 24 March 2014 28 min read
Jes Borland SQL Server Indexed Views: The Basics Views are a valuable tool for the SQL Server Developer, because they hide complexity and allow for a readable style... 12 February 2014 23 min read
Joe Celko SQL Server SEQUENCE Basics The SEQUENCE statement introduced in SQL Server 2012 brings the ANSI SQL 2003 standard method of generating IDs. This is... 06 February 2014 13 min read
Learn SQL Server Phil Factor in Learn SQL Server Primary Key Primer for SQL Server Every database developer uses keys, but without always understanding all the ramifications. They come with few hard and fast rules,... 02 December 2013 22 min read
Dwain Camps A SQL-Based Universal Currency Formatter SQL Server isn't usually the best place to format dates or currency as strings. It can be a complex task... 07 February 2013 12 min read
Seth Delconte Precision Indexing: Basics of Selective XML Indexes in SQL Server 2012 Seldom has a SQL Server Service pack had such an effect on database development as when SQL Server 2012 SP1... 25 January 2013 14 min read
Grant Fritchey Statistics in SQL Server SQL Server's Query Optimiser relies on statistics for providing a decent query plan. If the statistics are wrong, outdated or... 08 January 2013 10 min read
Joe Celko SQL VIEW Basics SQL Views are essential for the database developer. However, it is common to see them misused, or neglected. Joe Celko... 10 May 2012 19 min read
Fabiano Amorim Window Functions in SQL Server: Part 3: Questions of Performance A SQL expression may look elegant on the page but it is only valuable if its performance is good. Do... 04 January 2012 12 min read
Robert Sheldon Incorporating XML into your Database Objects XML data can become a full participant in a SQL Server Database, and can be used in views, functions, check... 04 January 2012 14 min read
Robert Sheldon The XML Methods in SQL Server The XML Data type has definite uses, but the way of interrogating, retrieving, and manipulating the values of properties and... 08 December 2011 22 min read
Fabiano Amorim Window Functions in SQL Server: Part 2-The Frame Fabiano continues his introduction to SQL Server's implementation of the window functions by giving a history of what got implemented... 24 November 2011 13 min read
Robert Sheldon Working with the XML Data Type in SQL Server The XML data type, introduced in SQL Server 2005, is a powerful construct. When used wisely, it can provide useful... 07 November 2011 16 min read
Learn SQL Server Fabiano Amorim in Learn SQL Server Window Functions in SQL Server When SQL Server introduced Window Functions in SQL Server 2005, it was done in a rather tentative way, with only... 27 October 2011 12 min read
Learn SQL Server Roy Ernest in Learn SQL Server Resource Governor If you suffer from runaway queries, if you have several database applications with unpredictable fluctuation in workload, or if you... 26 October 2011 23 min read
Learn SQL Server Robert Young in Learn SQL Server Going Beyond the Relational Model with Data SQL is a powerful tool for querying data, and for aggregating it. However, you can't easily use it to draw... 27 September 2011 28 min read
Learn SQL Server Chris Shaw in Learn SQL Server Building Your DBA Skillset As a DBA and hiring manager, Chris Shaw has been on those sides of the recruitement process. As an MVP... 06 July 2011 23 min read
Robert Sheldon Subqueries in SQL Server Subqueries and derived tables can add great versatility to SQL statements, cut down complexity, but can occasionally be a curse... 26 May 2011 16 min read