How to develop TSQL Code

The basic texts for developing SQL code tend to leave unsaid the basic techniques for building routines such as stored procedures in T-SQL. Phil is...

24 June 2011 15 min read

Joe Celko

TIME Gentlemen please! The SQL Server temporal datatypes

If you are still using the old Sybase DateTime datatype, it is a good idea to move your code to the more standard datatypes that...

12 May 2011 12 min read

Robert Sheldon

Bulk Inserts via TSQL in SQL Server

The trouble with using BCP for reading data into SQL Server is that BCP is a command-line program. Fortunately, the same input functionality is available...

31 January 2011 20 min read

Dennis Lloyd

Sebastian Meine

SQL Server Unit Testing with tSQLt

When one considers the amount of time and effort that Unit Testing consumes for the Database Developer, is surprising how few good SQL Server Test...

06 January 2011 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

Auke Teeninga

Minesweeper in T-SQL

Whatever happened to the idea that programming in TSQL can be fun? A Simple-Talk reader contributes an article to remind us all that there is...

02 September 2010 8 min read

Phil Factor

Exploring SQL Server table metadata with SSMS and TSQL

Phil shows how to start squeezing powerful magic from SSMS for doing a detailed exploration of the metadata of your routines and tables, in this...

29 April 2010 21 min read

Alex Kuznetsov

Basic Defensive Database Programming Techniques

We can all recognise good-quality database code: It doesn't break with every change in the server's configuration, or on upgrade. It isn't affected by concurrent...

31 March 2010 36 min read

Kathi Kellenberger

Writing Efficient SQL: Set-Based Speed Phreakery

Phil Factor's SQL Speed Phreak challenge is an event where coders battle to produce the fastest code to solve a common reporting problem on large...

04 February 2010 31 min read

Phil Factor

The TSQL of Text Files

Phil returns to the old subject of 'Getting text-based data in and out of SQL Server'. He shows various easy ways of getting a file...

19 January 2009 15 min read

Anith Sen

Faking Arrays in Transact SQL

It is a simple routine that we all need to use occasionally; parsing a delimited list of strings in TSQL. In a perfect relational world,...

16 September 2008 20 min read

Nigel Rivett

Identity Columns

When Nigel Rivett takes us on a tour of the apparently innocuous subject of Identity Columns in TSQL, even the seasoned programmer is due for...

12 May 2008 12 min read

Phil Factor

Robyn Page

SQL String User Function Workbench: part 2

In which Robyn and Phil continue with their popular series on TSQL String User-functions. In this final episode, they pull together the themes from their...

28 April 2008 14 min read

Phil Factor

Robyn Page

SQL String User Function Workbench: part 1

Robyn and Phil go back to basics and hammer out some basic String-handling User Functions in TSQL, based on Python examples. Plenty of sample code,...

15 April 2008 15 min read

Getting HTML Data: Workbench

Robyn and Phil start their investigation into XHTML by showing how to use TSQL to parse it to extract data, and demonstrate how to turn...

27 March 2008 17 min read

Phil Factor

Robyn Page

TSQL String Array Workbench

Robyn and Phil show how to use XML-based arrays to make string handling easier in SQL Server 2005/2008, and illustrate the techniques with some useful...

16 March 2008 17 min read

Phil Factor

Robyn Page

TSQL Regular Expression Workbench

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...

27 November 2007 19 min read

Phil Factor

Robyn Page