String searching and manipulation in SQL Server can be error-prone and tedious...unless you're armed with the techniques described in Robyn's string manipulation workbench...… Read more
Author and SQL Server development manager, Kirk Haselden, talks about SSIS, gruelling interviews on an empty stomach, and his role at Microsoft.… Read more
To celebrate the seventh anniversary of Robyn Page's classic workbench, Phil brings it right up to date. What starts as a gentle introduction to the use of dates in SQL Server ends up with some unusual tricks in creating calendars and calculating Mardi Gras. … Read more
Extensive coverage of the query-time behaviour of SQL Server Full-text search, demonstrating how searches are expanded by the parser before hitting the full-text index.… Read more
How do you keep your skills current? How will you prepare yourself for what you will be doing 5 years from now? In this article, part III of the series, I discuss books and the role they can play in keeping the developer up to date.… Read more
A seemingly never-ending battle in online database forums involves the question of whether or not database application development should involve the use of stored procedures.… Read more
When faced with two viable solutions to a badly compromised database design, one using clustered indexes and the other compound primary keys, Grant Fritchey took the only sensible route: he gathered hard performance data...… Read more
SQL Full-text Search (SQL FTS) is an optional component of SQL Server 7 and later, which allows fast and efficient querying when you have large amounts of unstructured data. … Read more
Meet Glenn Johnson; he runs Glenn Johnson Technical Training and has just written "Programming Microsoft ADO.NET Applications - Advanced Topics".… Read more
In Part I of this series, I discussed the role and value of conferences in the career development of SQL Server and .NET developers. In this article, I move on to discuss online technical forums, focusing on what to do before you post on a newsgroup or forum in order to derive maximum benefit from them, and avoid trying the patience and goodwill of the forum community.… Read more
"In grad school, I had a temporary assignment as director of the undergrad labs, where I had to manage the grades of 800 students. My predecessor had handled this using a rudimentary Commodore PET program. I re-wrote the program so that it used a very basic DBMS, based on flat files. Not bad for a 32K machine." -- Tom Moreau
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A number of years ago, I wrote a blog entry entitled "Who is Responsible for your Career?". It was perhaps the second most popular post I ever wrote (judging by reads and referrals), and it generated a large number of comments and other blog entries, both pro and con. … Read more
Dr. Michael Rys is the program manager for the SQL Server Engine Team at Microsoft, represents Microsoft on the W3C XQuery Working Group and has a seat on the SQL Standardization committee.… Read more
Peter runs a consulting firm that develops data-driven enterprise solutions, he is also a programming instructor for Wintellect and a frequent speaker on SQL Server and other subjects.… Read more
Scott is the director of IT for a premier web hosting company called ORCS Web, and has spent a lot of time working on SQL Server 2005 issues related to that business.… Read more
Adam is a Microsoft MVP and a Microsoft Certified Professional. He speaks at Code Camps and has just become an independent consultant for SQL Server.… Read more
Determining how you will upgrade your DTS packages to SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) is the first step in creating a DTS-to-SSIS migration strategy.… Read more