2025-09-03
1,927 reads
cursors
A Case FOR Cursors...
We've all heard that definitive statement: "Avoid using cursors." But, in my opinion, what really should be conveyed is: "Avoid using row-by-row operations when possible."
2016-09-09 (first published: 2015-06-01)
13,574 reads
Performance Improvement for Cursors in Stored Procedures
Exploring some differences between using cursors, local fast forward cursors and using set logic.
2016-11-11 (first published: 2015-02-03)
17,416 reads
Cursor-Killing: Retrieving Recently Modified Data
Cursors are considered by many to be the bane of good T-SQL. What are the best ways to avoid iterative T-SQL and to write queries that look and perform beautifully? In the next part of an ongoing series, we look at ways to efficiently retrieve recently modified data.
2014-06-02
7,062 reads
A simple T-SQL statement to create a list of lookup values
In this article, we provide a simple way to get a comma delimited list from a table of entries without having to use a CURSOR or a WHILE loop to read through the table.
2012-09-28 (first published: 2011-03-21)
34,399 reads
What Every DBA Ought to Know About SQL Server Cursors (and Their Alternatives)
Cursors provide a means of processing through a set of records row-by-row. However, many companies have a policy against using cursors in their SQL Server standards. This article examines the problem with cursors and alternatives to using them.
2010-09-01
5,122 reads
4 Ways to Increase Your Salary (Using UPDATE)
This article depicts how to approach row by row updates needed in a salary table. It might not directly let you increase your salary, but it could help you at review time.
2009-11-26
42,938 reads
Avoiding cursors with SQL Server 2005
Sometimes cursors are necessary when executing queries in SQL Server, but most of the time they can be avoided entirely. This article shows where cursors can traditionally be used, and how you can use features packaged in SQL Server 2005 to avoid them.
2009-03-19
5,627 reads
Cursors for T-SQL Beginners
Should we really avoid cursors? See how to rewrite code to avoid cursors and also analyze the implications.
2011-05-27 (first published: 2009-01-01)
23,331 reads
2010-06-23 (first published: 2008-12-24)
37,410 reads
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Fun with JSON II
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Fun with JSON II
Changing Data Types
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Changing Data Types
Question of the Day
Fun with JSON II
I have some data in a table:
CREATE TABLE #test_data
(
id INT PRIMARY KEY,
name VARCHAR(100),
birth_date DATE
);
-- Step 2: Insert rows
INSERT INTO #test_data
VALUES
(1, 'Olivia', '2025-01-05'),
(2, 'Emma', '2025-03-02'),
(3, 'Liam', '2025-11-15'),
(4, 'Noah', '2025-12-22');
If I run this query, how many rows are returned?
SELECT t1.[key] AS row,
t2.*
FROM OPENJSON(
(
SELECT t.* FROM #test_data AS t FOR JSON PATH
)
) t1
CROSS APPLY OPENJSON(t1.value) t2; See possible answers