Robert Sheldon Using SQL Server Integration Services to Bulk Load Data The most flexible way to bulk-load data into SQL Server is to use SSIS. It can also be the fastest, and scaleable way of doing... 29 March 2011 15 min read
Robert Sheldon The EXCEPT and INTERSECT Operators in SQL Server The UNION, EXCEPT and INTERSECT operators of SQL enable you to combine more than one SELECT statement to form a single result set. The UNION... 28 February 2011 14 min read
Robert Sheldon Data Conversion in SQL Server Most of the time, you do not have to worry about implicit conversion in SQL expressions, or when assigning a value to a column. Just... 06 January 2011 17 min read
Robert Sheldon The DELETE statement in SQL Server Of the big four DML statements in SQL Server, the DELETE is the one least written about. This is odd considering the extra power conferred... 25 November 2010 11 min read
Robert Sheldon Working with Window Functions in SQL Server With SQL Server 2005, SQL Server introduced some of SQL's window functions, that apply, not to the full set, but a partitioned 'window'. Although the... 28 October 2010 12 min read
Robert Sheldon Working with the INSERT statement in SQL Server The INSERT statement in SQL Server is versatile. It now allows the insertion of multiple rows of literal values. It also provides the output clause... 27 September 2010 12 min read
Robert Sheldon The MERGE Statement in SQL Server 2008 When the SQL MERGE statement was introduced in SQL Server 2008, it allowed database programmers to replace reams of messy code with something quick, simple... 27 August 2010 14 min read
Robert Sheldon Implementing the OUTPUT Clause in SQL Server 2008 In retrospect, it was probably the inclusion of the OUTPUT clause in the MERGE statement that gave SQL Server 2008 its most powerful SQL enhancement..... 22 July 2010 17 min read
Robert Sheldon UPDATE Basics in SQL Server SQL Server's UPDATE statement is apparently simple, but complications such as the FROM clause can cause puzzlement. Bob Sheldon starts simply, and introduces the more... 21 June 2010 17 min read
Robert Sheldon SQL Server Common Table Expression (CTE) Basics The SQL Server common table expression was introduced into standard T-SQL to simplify queries for which a derived table just wasn't suitable. Robert Sheldon explains... 29 April 2010 11 min read
Robert Sheldon Adding a KPI to an SQL Server Analysis Services Cube Key Performance Indicators, which vary according to the application, are widely used as a measure of the performance of parts of an organisation. Analysis Services... 02 March 2010 14 min read
