Andrew Poulter


Technical Article

User Defined Function for Padding Numbers

This scalar udf takes three parameters @Number INT, @Length INT, @Position CHAR(1) and returns a VARCHAR(50) string which pads @Number with zeros to the specified @Length either to the right or to the left, according to @Position ('L' or 'R').E.g. SELECT dbo.udf_PadNumber(5, 6, 'L') returns '000005' whereas SELECT dbo.udf_PadNumber(5, 6, 'R') returns '500000'. The function […]

You rated this post out of 5. Change rating

2006-03-13 (first published: )

159 reads

Technical Article

Last Day of Month

A script was recently published (Last_Date_Of_Month) that returns the last day of a given month/year combination. I have simplified and improved on that script by eliminating the need to use a WHILE loop. This new script exploits the flexibility of the DATEADD function which allows you to assign negative numbers (thus effectively subtracting a given […]

You rated this post out of 5. Change rating

2004-09-30

159 reads

Blogs

A New Word: Dolorblindness

By

dolorblindness – n. the frustration that you’ll never be able to understand another person’s...

Claude Code Helps Analyze Test Data Manager Log Files

By

I had a customer ask about analyzing their Test Data Manager (TDM) usage to...

PowerPoint to HTML with Claude AI

By

I had an idea for an animated view of a sales tool, and started...

Read the latest Blogs

Forums

Optimism Without Illusion or Why AI Needs Blunt Technologists

By dbakevlar

Comments posted to this topic are about the item Optimism Without Illusion or Why...

SSIS with VS2022 64/32 issue with Excel files

By mario17

Hi all, I'm trying to do classic scenario for loading multiple Excel files into...

Case part is sloooooow

By krypto69

Hi So the case statement is slowing this down - but for the life...

Visit the forum

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