Common QA for deploying SQL Server in a SAN Environment

Detailed question/answer paper on deploying SQL Server in a Storage Area Network (SAN) Environment.

Get all from Table A that isn't in Table B

A common requirement when building a data warehouse is to be able to get all rows from a staging table where the business key is not in the dimension table. For example, I may want to get all rows from my STG_DATE table where the DateID is not in DIM_DATE.DateID.

Function Number of Week Days between Two Dates

This function will calculate the number of weekdays between two dates passed. This allows for accurate tracking of "business days" for metrics in many different views.

SQL Server Hardware Performance Checklist

We take a look at each of the major components of a SQL Server's hardware, and examine what can be done to help maximize the performance of your hardware.

SQL Server: Compare Query Results - Part I

In the Database administration world, it is often necessary to run a query on the production box and then run the same query on the QA or UAT box and compare the results. In this article, I would like to introduce a method that takes advantage of an MS-DOS batch file and SQL Server utility, BCP.exe, to compare the query results executed on two different servers.

Clustering for Indexes

There is nothing spectacular about using indexes per say. However, on many occasions I have come across a variety of SQL coders that never consider validating that the index they think they are using is efficient or even being used at all. We can all put indexes on the columns that we think will be required to satisfy individual queries, but how do we know if they will ever be used. You see, if the underlying table data is constructed, contains, or is ordered in a particular way, our indexes may never be used. One of the factors around the use of an index is its clustering factor and this is what this article is about.

Introduction to MSSQL Server 2000 Analysis Services: Performing Increm

This article is a member of the series Introduction to MSSQL Server 2000 Analysis Services. The series is designed to provide hands-on application of the fundamentals of MS SQL Server 2000 Analysis Services, with each installment progressively adding features and techniques designed to meet specific real - world needs.

Cursors with SQL 2000 Part 2

Cursors with SQL 2000 Part 1

This series of articles will examine the purposes, uses, and optimization of cursors in SQL 2000. SQL languages are designed so groups of records, or sets, can be manipulated easily and quickly. The speed at which groups of data can be altered, updated and deleted, demonstrates why working with sets is the preferred method. However, there are places where cursors are a better choice.

Optimizing Your SQL Code with SQL Server 2005

A common complaint of database administrators (DBAs) is that performance bottlenecks are not among those problems that one can fix "by just throwing hardware at it." Thus, database servers must provide tools and techniques to help administrators address this issue. On that aspect, SQL Server 2005 does not disappoint.