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Stairway to XML: Level 5 - The XML exist() and nodes() Methods

Rob Sheldon from SQLServerCentral.com

The XML exist() method is used, often in a WHERE clause, to check the existence of an element within an XML document or fragment. The nodes() method lets you shred an XML instance and return the information as relational data.  More »

SQL in the City - Seattle 2012

Press Release from SQLServerCentral.com

Start the week in Seattle off with a free day of training on Nov 5, 2012 with SQL in the City. Grant Fritchey, Steve Jones and more will be talking SQL Server in the Pacific Northwest. Join us and debate and discuss SQL Server the Red Gate Way. More »

SQLServerCentral Webinar Series #21 - Forgotten Rings & Other Monitoring Stories

Press Release from Red-Gate

Most common monitoring metrics are important and useful, especially over time, but they can fall short. How do you gather information to determine, for example, if you have buffer cache pressure? Register now for the free webinar. Wednesday, October 17 2012 4:00pm - 5:00pm BST More »

From the SQLServerCentral Blogs - Microsoft Security Bulletin MS12-070 for SSRS

Brian Kelley from SQLServerCentral.com

Today is black Tuesday for October 2012. One security bulletin is specifically for a component of the SQL Server stack:... More »

When you are in a job interview, it's almost inevitable that near the end the interviewer will ask you what questions you have. As noted in this post, a large number of people have no questions. It's certainly possible that the interview covered all the questions you would want to have answered, but do you have a list of questions before the interview starts?

You should. I think it's important that you ask questions in an interview, especially questions that are important to you. Many times each of us wants a job, needs to get a job, and don't want to do anything that might jeopardize our chances. However taking a job that's a bad fit, or has some aspect that will bother you every day is a bad idea. You spend a lot of time at work and a poor work environment can make your life miserable.

In the piece, the person makes a good point that your questions reflect your priorities and can result in an unfavorable impression. I think you can ask about topics like telecommuting, but do so in a way that shows you are interested and excited about the job. I've noted long commutes and the time they take in an interview, asking if I can better use that time to solve problems by working at home a day or two. The way you bring topics up can matter, so make sure that you word your questions in a way that shows you are interested in doing a good job.

I do think that asking questions which show your enthusiasm or interest in the position are good questions to ask. However you should think about those questions before you go to the interview and determine if what impression they make. Write down your questions, and if they are answered during the interview, mark them off and ask any remaining questions at the end. 

The interview is your best chance to determine if the position is a good fit for you and the company, so take advantage of that.

Steve Jones

The Voice of the DBA Podcasts

We publish three versions of the podcast each day for you to enjoy.

• Watch the Windows Media Podcast - 18.8MB WMV
• Watch the iPod Video Podcast - 18.0MB MP4
• Listen to the MP3 Audio Podcast - 3.6MB MP3

The podcast feeds are available at sqlservercentral.mevio.com. Comments are definitely appreciated and wanted, and you can get feeds from there. Overall RSS Feed: or now on iTunes!

Today's podcast features music by Everyday Jones. No relation, but I stumbled on to them and really like the music. Support this great duo at www.everydayjones.com.

You can also follow Steve Jones on Twitter:

Steve Jones from SQLServerCentral.com

» Join the debate, and respond to today's editorial on the forums

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Today's Question:

I Set the options to support indexed views.

SET NUMERIC_ROUNDABORT OFF;
SET ANSI_PADDING, ANSI_WARNINGS, CONCAT_NULL_YIELDS_NULL,
    ARITHABORT,QUOTED_IDENTIFIER, ANSI_NULLS ON;

I then execute the following T-SQL statement

CREATE VIEW dbo.c_view
 WITH SCHEMABINDING 
AS 
 SELECT [CustomerID]
      , [FirstName]
      , [LastName]
      , [Priority]
      , [CreateDate]
  FROM [dbo].[Customer]

The view is created. I then execute the following T-SQL statement

CREATE STATISTICS CV_Stats ON Dbo.C_view (LastName)

The question is: are the Statistics created ?

By bitbucket

Think you know the answer? Click here, and find out if you are right.

This question is worth 1 point in this category: Views. We keep track of your score to give you bragging rights against your peers.

We'd love to give you credit for your own question and answer. To submit a QOD, simply log in to Contribution Center.

Professional SQL Server 2012 Adminstration

Microsoft SQL Server 2012 will have major changes throughout the SQL Server and will impact how DBAs administer the database. With this book, a team of well-known SQL Server experts introduces the many new features of the most recent version of SQL Server and deciphers how these changes will affect the methods that administrators have been using for years. Loaded with unique tips, tricks, and workarounds for handling the most difficult SQL Server admin issues, this how-to guide deciphers topics such as performance tuning, backup and recovery, scaling and replication, clustering, and security.

Get your copy from Amazon today.

Look at this T-SQL.

begin try

Declare @ctr int
Declare @a float
Declare @b int

select @ctr = 1
select @a = 10
select @b = .001

while @ctr <= 10
 begin
  if @ctr = 4
   select @a/@b
  select @ctr = @ctr+1
 end
end try
begin catch
 select @ctr
end catch

select @ctr 'Counter'

By SKR V

Answer: 4

Explanation: The data type of the variable @b is int and hence the value of @b will be '0' though assigned with .001 and a divide by zero error encountered which therefore will be catched and the counter will be 4.

» Discuss this question and answer on the forums

 Inside the SQL Server Query Optimizer

This book will take you from the fundamentals of Statistics, Cost Estimation, Index Selection, and the Execution Engine, and guide you through the inner workings of the Query Optimization process, and throws in a pragmatic look at Parameterization and Hints along the way. Grab your copy today from Amazon!

Finding Dynamic SQL's Dependencies

Arthur Gimpel from SQLServerCentral.com

The script finds dependencies of Dynamic SQL based on a table containing T-SQL Queries, DB's and Linked Servers in which it can be executed. More »

Here's a few of the new posts today on the forums. To see more, visit the forums.

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