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Simple SQL: Random Thoughts

How does one get a truly random sample of data of a certain size from a SQL Server database table. Well, there are simple non-portable tricks one can use, such as the NewID() function, but then refining those can be tricky. Take the Rand() function for a start. Can it really provide you with a truly random number? Why doesn't the TABLESAMPLE clause give you a set number of rows? Joe Celko scratches his head a bit, explains some of the issues and invites some suggestions and tricks from readers.

2017-10-19

3,623 reads

External Article

The Power of Python and SQL Server 2017

Python is new to SQL Server 2017. It is intended primarily to allow the use of Python-based machine-learning within SQL Server, but it can be used for far more than this, with any Python libraries or Frameworks. To provide an example of what is possible, Hitendra shows how to use the feature securely to provide intelligent application caching, where SQL Server can automatically indicate when data changes to trigger a cache refresh.

2017-10-16

5,024 reads

External Article

Statistics in SQL: Student’s t-test

Many undergraduates have misunderstood the name 'Students' in the t-test to imply that it was designed as a simple test suitable for students. In fact it was William Sealy Gosset, an Englishman publishing under the pseudonym Student, who developed the t-test and t distribution in 1908, as a way of making confident predictions from small sample sizes of normally-distributed variables. As Gosset's employer was Guinness, the brewer, Phil Factor takes a sober view of calculating it in SQL.

2017-10-12

3,767 reads

External Article

Network Configuration of SQL Server Always On Availability Groups in Azure

Implementing SQL Server Failover Clustering in Azure virtual machines differs in several aspects from its on-premises implementations. These differences reflect some of the unique characteristics of the storage and network infrastructure services in the Microsoft cloud environment. In this article, Marcin Policht looks at the networking aspects of clustered deployments of SQL Server 2016 in Azure.

2017-10-11

2,735 reads

External Article

Automated Database Provisioning for Development and Testing

If your development team needs to work on anonymised copies of the current production database, and if changes are being delivered rapidly as well, that could mean a lot of time and routine DevOps work copying databases. SQL Clone was designed for tasks like this. Grant Fritchey investigates whether you save time, effort and scripting over the more traditional approach, and at what point it makes sense to use it.

2017-10-10

4,465 reads

External Article

SQL Server Integration Services SSIS 2016 Tutorial

SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) is the integration and ETL (extract – transform – load) tool in the Microsoft Data Platform stack. SSIS is typically used in data warehousing scenarios, but can also be used in common data integration use cases or just to move data around. SSIS is used behind the scenes in the Maintenance Plans of SQL Server and in the Import/Export wizard.

2017-10-06

4,301 reads

External Article

The Basics of Good T-SQL Coding Style – Part 4: Performance

There are several obvious problems with poor SQL Coding habits. It can make code difficult to maintain, or can confuse your team colleagues. It can make refactoring a chore or make testing difficult. The most serious problem is poor performance. You can write SQL that looks beautiful but performs sluggishly, or interferes with other threads. A busy database developer adopts good habits so as to avoid staring at execution plans. Rob Sheldon gives some examples.

2017-10-05

6,056 reads

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Question of the Day

Multiple Values Inserted

I have this code on SQL Server 2022. What happens when it runs all at once? 

DROP TABLE IF EXISTS dbo.Commission
GO
CREATE TABLE dbo.Commission
(id INT NOT NULL IDENTITY(1,1) CONSTRAINT CommissionPK PRIMARY KEY
, salesperson VARCHAR(20)
, commission VARCHAR(20)
)
GO
INSERT dbo.Commission
( salesperson, commission)
VALUES
( 'Brian', 12 ),
( 'Brian', 'None' )
GO
 

See possible answers