Which Should You Use: VARCHAR or NVARCHAR?

You’re building a new table or adding a column, and you wanna know which datatype to use: VARCHAR or NVARCHAR?

Static Versus Dynamic Bulk Insert Imports of Multi-File Datasets

There are numerous use cases for multi-file imports of CSV files into a SQL Server table:

Query Plans Pop Quiz: Three Simple Questions

Can you answer these questions?

The Phoenix Project

In this newly updated and expanded edition of the bestselling The Phoenix Project, co-author Gene Kim includes a new afterword and a deeper delve into the Three Ways as described in The DevOps Handbook.

• Printed book:
  • US
• Kindle book:
  • US

Managing Underused Indexes in SQL Server Availability Groups – Part 2

Knowing the usage from all workloads is definitely better than focusing on only the primary or a single secondary. But what if I want to make more informed decisions, incorporating row counts, size, and index columns into this output?

Memories of Andrew Clarke, by Simon Galbraith

Simon Galbraith, co-founder of Redgate and one of the creators of Simple Talk, remembers Andrew Clarke

SQL EXISTS Use Cases and Examples

I’ve seen the SQL EXISTS keyword in Microsoft SQL Server T-SQL code and don’t understand it well. What does it do? How do I use it? Are there best practices around SQL IF EXISTS?

Mastering SQL VIEWs: Syntax, Use Cases, and Best Practices

VIEWs are an undervalued and underused feature in SQL. They basically consist of a query that has been given a name, and a parameter list, so can be used like an inline macro. Technically, you’re supposed to think of it as a virtual table.

T‑SQL BULK INSERT vs OPENROWSET: CSV Imports, File Access Gotchas, and A PowerShell Script

Most SQL bulk insert and SQL Server openrowset tutorials skip file access issues that can stop imports cold. Both the bulk insert statement and openrowset function rely on the SQL Server service account to read a source file. The SQL Server service account must have read permission on the file or its folder. It is also convenient to have read & execute as well as list folder content permissions.

No, Accelerated Database Recovery Doesn’t Fix NOLOCK.

I have never seen a T-SQL feature that people love as much as NOLOCK.