New CREATE OR ALTER statement in SQL Server 2016 SP1
Ahmad Yaseen explains what SQL Server 2016 SP1's new CREATE OR ALTER statement does, and how to use it.
2017-02-20
5,523 reads
Articles
Using EXCEPT to Determine Row Differences
How to use the EXCEPT statement to perform row differences.
2017-02-17 (first published: 2014-03-25)
52,439 reads
Introduction to SAP HANA on Azure
Microsoft and SAP share a long history of working together on a variety of interoperability solutions, including SAP Fiori and Office 365. In recent years, this trend has been exemplified by advancements in support for SAP-based solutions on Microsoft Azure. Marcin Policht provides an overview, focusing in particular on support for SAP HANA on Azure.
2017-02-17
4,185 reads
vCenter Server fails to start, Purge and Shrink Vcenter SQL Database
In this article, you will learn how to troubleshoot If your vCenter Server fails to start and and manually purge the Vcenter database if required.
2017-02-16
8,506 reads
Lists With, or Without, Ranges in both T-SQL and PowerShell
Whether you are working in a procedural language like PowerShell or in T-SQL, there is something slightly bothersome about having to deal with parameters that are lists, or worse with ranges amongst the values. In fact, once you have a way of dealing with them, they can be convenient, especially when bridging the gulf between application and the database. Phil Factor shows how to deal with them.
2017-02-16
4,920 reads
SQL Server vs SQL Server v.Next
An introduction to the basics of current SQL Server vs v.Next Performance Testing.
2017-02-15
3,660 reads
Compression and its Effects on Performance
Erin Stellato takes a look at the new COMPRESS and DECOMPRESS functions, comparing their impact on space and performance to traditional data compression.
2017-02-15
6,456 reads
Quick Testing with SQL Clone Images
Steve Jones explains how SQL Clone can be used to create multiple copies of a database for different testing scenarios, while using just a fraction of the disk space. For example for developers to experiment in sandbox environments, with full copies of large databases, without the hassle and delays of restoring backups or copying database files.
2017-02-14
942 reads
The Power of the Data Model
A data model is far more powerful than simply a set of build instructions for DBAs. It can be used to shape business thought and actions for the benefit of all.
2017-02-14
2,044 reads
Office Hours Webcast 2017/02/01
In this edition of Office Hours, Brent, Erik, and Richie discuss AlwaysOn Availability Groups, execution plans, speeding up log shipping, applying wrong service packs, their favourite high availability solutions, and more.
2017-02-14
3,764 reads
Blogs
Announcements from the Microsoft Fabric Community Conference — Barcelona 2026
By James Serra
Microsoft shared a broad set of Fabric, Power BI, and SQL updates at FabCon...
Au Revoir for now
By Steve Jones
No, I’m not quitting or retiring. Just going on vacation, but I leave tonight...
Forums
Let's Talk Certifications
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Let's Talk Certifications, which is...
The Hidden Security Risks of Role Combination in SSAS Tabular
Comments posted to this topic are about the item The Hidden Security Risks of...
The Empty Aggregate
Comments posted to this topic are about the item The Empty Aggregate
Question of the Day
The Empty Aggregate
I have this table in a SQL Server 2025 database:
CREATE TABLE [dbo].[CustomerOrder] ( [OrderID] [int] NULL, [CustomerID] [int] NULL, [total] [money] NULL ) ON [PRIMARY] GOWhat is returned from this code? (answers are for the sum and then the count)
SELECT SUM(total) AS sum,
COUNT(total) AS count
FROM dbo.CustomerOrder;
See possible answers