Pivoting is a common reporting requirement - data is stored in columns and you need to present it in rows. This was a nice feature that was added to SQL Server, but you don't always know all of the values you need to pivot on. This tip looks at how you can dynamically create the pivot command to handle these unknown values.
2012-11-09
5,308 reads
Table partitioning is a blessing in that it makes large tables that have varying access patterns more scalable and manageable, but it is a mixed blessing. It is important to understand the down-side before using table partitioning.
2012-11-08
4,482 reads
Greg Larsen shows you how to install Data Quality Services and the companion client tool called Data Quality Client for SQL Server 2012.
2012-11-07
2,181 reads
This article shares some tips on using concatenation efficiently for application development, pointing out some things that we must consider and look at when concatenating values or fields in our queries or stored procedures.
2012-11-06
3,661 reads
The Execute SQL Task of SSIS is extraordinarily useful, but it can cause a lot of difficulty for developers learning SSIS, or only using it occasionally. What it needed, we felt, was a clear step-by-step guide that showed the basics of how to use it effectively. Annette Allen has once again cleared the fog of confusion.
2012-11-05
2,246 reads
A quick solution is a table function that will create a date range based on the parameters given. Then, you can just join to the results.
2012-11-02
4,979 reads
When the average database developer is obliged to manipulate XML, either shredding it into relational format, or creating it from SQL, it is often done 'at arms length'. A shame, since effective use of techniques that go beyond the basics can save much code,
2012-11-01
3,886 reads
As you begin developing reports for deployment to a Report Server, what security considerations need to be taken into account in order to grant users access to run a report.
2012-10-31
3,976 reads
Quite often, tasks accomplished via SSIS are a part of procedures that run unattended, either scheduled to launch at a particular date and time or triggered by some arbitrarily chosen event. Marcin Policht shares a typical approach to implementing such a scenario.
2012-10-30
3,399 reads
PowerShell is worth using when it is the quickest way to providing a solution. For the DBA, it is much more than getting information from SQL Server instances via PowerShell; it can also be run from SQL Server as part of a system that helps with administrative and monitoring tasks.
2012-10-29
3,321 reads
By Bert Wagner
Until recently, my family's 90,000+ photos have been hidden away in the depths of...
By Kamil
Managing Microsoft Fabric at scale quickly becomes painful if you rely only on the...
2025 exposed a growing gap between AI ambition and operational reality. As budgets tightened...
Comments posted to this topic are about the item UNISTR Escape
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Celebrating Tomorrow
Comments posted to this topic are about the item SQL Art: I Made a...
In SQL Server 2025, I run this command:
SELECT UNISTR('*3041*308A*304C\3068 and good night', '*') as "A Classic";
What is returned? (assume the database has an appropriate collation)
A: 
B: 
C: 
See possible answers