SQL Test: Seeing Red Change to Green
Rob Sullivan is one of the users who are helping shape the way that SQL Test develops, and here he explains what is going on, and why.
2012-01-10
1,883 reads
Additional Articles
Constraints and the Test-Driven Database
Bad data always seems to appear when, and where, one least expects it. Sam explains the great value of a defensive approach based on constraints to any team that is developing an application in which the data has to be exactly right, and where bad data could cause consequential severe financial damage. It is perhaps better seen as creating a test-driven database.
2012-01-09
2,574 reads
T-SQL Development, or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Word
Microsoft Office Word is useful. There, I have confessed it, it's useful to me while I am working with TSQL. It's possibly only the search and replace function that I like but it's wrapped in Word so I have to take it like that. I use it a lot to help me capture the results of a stored procedure.
2012-01-06
4,436 reads
Using bit columns with NULLs when three options exist in SQL Server
Frequently surveys ask yes/no questions and use a bit datatype. What are the effects of allowing this column to be NULL in a SQL Server table? Check out this tip to learn more.
2012-01-05
4,275 reads
When to Break Down Complex Queries
Microsoft SQL Server is able to create very efficient query plans in most cases. However, there are certain query patterns that can cause problems for the query optimizer; this article describes four of these patterns.
2012-01-04
5,357 reads
The XML Methods in SQL Server
The XML Data type has definite uses, but the way of interrogating, retrieving, and manipulating the values of properties and attributes within XML have been so foreign to the SQL language as to be somewhat of a barrier to their use. Fortunately, Robert Sheldon has once more managed to make the subject accessible to those of us who just need to get the job done.
2012-01-03
3,706 reads
Querying SQL Server Agent Job Information
Is there an easy/automated way to get information on SQL Server Agent jobs instead of connecting to each server and manually getting the information through the SSMS GUI?
2012-01-02
3,521 reads
Understanding the SQL Server SELECT @@VERSION command
Check out this tip to learn about the SELECT @@VERSION command in SQL Server.
2011-12-30
4,818 reads
Great SQL Server Debates: Lock Pages in Memory
There has been much debate over the need for the Lock Pages in Memory privilege, on 64-bit versions of SQL Server. Jonathan Kehayias presents a "warts and all" account of its history, the confusions surrounding its use, and why he believes it's still a good default configuration for 64-bit SQL Server instances, even when running Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008R2.
2011-12-29
2,878 reads
Writing New Hash Functions for SQL Server
This blog, explores ideas for extending SQL Server with new, fast hash functions. As will be shown, the high speed, built in functions CHECKSUM and BINARY_CHECKSUM are not always optimal hash functions, when you require the function to spread data evenly over an integer space.
2011-12-28
2,595 reads
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Question of the Day
BIT_COUNT I
In SQL Server 2025, I have a table (dbo.UserPermission) that contains this data:
UserID UserPermissions 15 23 37What is returned when I run this code:
select bit_count(UserPermissions) as PermissionCount from dbo.UserPermission where UserID = 3;See possible answers