Using a column name in a COUNT function
Putting a column name in a COUNT() function may not always give you what you are looking for.
2015-01-30 (first published: 2013-10-15)
33,017 reads
Articles
How to get ETL Horribly Wrong
ETL ( Extract, transform, load) doesn't have to be like a spell on hell. To make a success of ETL systems, you need the freedom and ability to make graceful U-turns when you detect a mistake in architecture or configuration: to fix the root problem rather than to merely tackle the symptoms. Feodor lists the eight most common root causes of failure in ETL systems, and how to fix them.
2015-01-30
13,243 reads
Database ownership and TRUSTWORTHY
Database ownership is an old topic for SQL Server pro's. Check this simple lab to learn the risks your databases can be exposed to.
2015-01-29
11,280 reads
Using T-SQL to Perform Z-Score Column Normalization in SQL Server
In data mining, we sometimes need to perform techniques such as Z-score normalization on numeric data type columns to prevent one column from skewing or dominating the models produced by the machine learning algorithms. Dallas Snider explains how to perform this in SQL Server with T-SQL code.
2015-01-29
9,049 reads
Why Developers Need to Understand Execution Plans
If you can examine and understand execution plans, you can achieve better understanding of the database system and you will write better database code. Grant Fritchey shows you how.
2015-01-28
9,282 reads
Grant Fritchey Reviews Minion Reindex
Grant Fritchey reviews Midnight DBA's Minion Reindex, a highly customizable set of scripts that take on the task of rebuilding and reorganizing your indexes.
2015-01-27
2,590 reads
Finding Encrypted Data in a SQL Server Database
The easiest way to determine if there is encrypted data in a database is to get that information from whoever wrote the application. Aside from that, there are a few things you can look for which would suggest that you have encrypted data in a given database.
2015-01-27
7,810 reads
2015-01-26
12,054 reads
Discrete and Continuous Data in SQL
Not all data is discrete; some data types represent a continuum. In SQL, we have to approximate them and live with the special problems of handling continuous data. We need to understand the problems associated with continuous data types, when these will happen, and how it affects constraints and the results of queries. Joe Celko explains.
2015-01-26
8,731 reads
2015-01-23 (first published: 2013-10-08)
29,981 reads
Blogs
A New Word: Dolorblindness
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dolorblindness – n. the frustration that you’ll never be able to understand another person’s...
Claude Code Helps Analyze Test Data Manager Log Files
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I had a customer ask about analyzing their Test Data Manager (TDM) usage to...
PowerPoint to HTML with Claude AI
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I had an idea for an animated view of a sales tool, and started...
Forums
Optimism Without Illusion or Why AI Needs Blunt Technologists
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Optimism Without Illusion or Why...
SSIS with VS2022 64/32 issue with Excel files
Hi all, I'm trying to do classic scenario for loading multiple Excel files into...
Case part is sloooooow
Hi So the case statement is slowing this down - but for the life...
Question of the Day
The String Distance I
In SQL Server 2025, what is returned by this code:
SELECT EDIT_DISTANCE('tim', 'tom')
Assume preview features are enabled. See possible answers