Stairway to Data, Level 5: Types of Scales – Part I
Joe Celko discusses Nominal, Categorical, Absolute, Ordinal and Rank scales. These are the weakest scales we can use, starting with the weakest.
2019-03-26 (first published: 2011-07-06)
6,690 reads
Joe Celko
Stairway to Data, Level 6: Types of Scales - Part II
Joe Celko introduces more powerful scales such as Interval, Log interval and ratio scales; before moving on to conversions, punctuation and units. Finally he gives guidelines as to how best to use scales in a database.
2019-03-26 (first published: 2011-07-27)
4,733 reads
Stairway to Data, Level 7: Data Encoding Schemes - Part I
Joe discusses how to deal with the kinds of encoding schemes, how to use them and how to design them. He discusses Enumeration, Measurement, Abbreviation and Algorithmic categories
2019-03-26 (first published: 2011-08-10)
6,120 reads
Stairway to Data, Level 8: Data Encoding Schemes - Part II
Joe discusses Hierarchical, Vector and Concatenation encoding before rounding up with general guidelines for designing encoding schemes.
2019-03-26 (first published: 2011-08-31)
4,549 reads
Stairway to Database Design Level 1: Data Elements
Before you start to think about your database schema or tables, you need to consider your data: the type of data it is, the scale you use for values. It needs to be unique, precise and unambiguous. Then you need to name it in such a way that it can be generally understood. Joe Celko explains...
2019-03-26 (first published: 2010-04-27)
39,506 reads
Stairway to Database Design Level 2: Domains, Constraints and Defaults
A clear understanding of SQL Data Types and domains is a fundamental requirement for the Database Developer, but it is not elementary. If you select the most appropriate data type, it can sidestep a variety of errors. Furthermore, if you then define the data domains as exactly as possible via constraints, you can catch a variety of those problems that would otherwise bedevil the work of the application programmer.
2019-03-26 (first published: 2010-05-04)
28,155 reads
Stairway to Database Design Level 3: Building Tables
There are several types of tables, each with their special requirements for rules and integrity constraints. Whatever the requirement, table-level constraints will ensure that the rules are enforced and data integrity is maintained.
2019-03-26 (first published: 2010-05-25)
21,708 reads
Stairway to Database Design Level 4: Building a Schema
Having described tables, Joe Celko explains how to make them work together as a database and touches on what Entity Relationships and Views are.
2019-03-26 (first published: 2010-08-18)
19,223 reads
Stairway to Database Design Level 5: Procedures
Joe Celko tackles the subject of the Stored Procedure and its place in database design. What he writes is food for thought, even for experienced database developers.
2019-03-26 (first published: 2010-08-25)
15,826 reads
Stairway to Database Design Level 7: Triggers
In levels one to four, we built the tables, base and virtual, of a schema. Levels five and six dealt with stored procedures. This level deals with a feature you need to avoid as much as possible; this is article is on Triggers.
2019-03-26 (first published: 2011-09-30)
12,392 reads
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The Decoded Value
In SQL Server 2025, what is returned from this code:
DECLARE @message VARCHAR(50) = 'Hello SQL Server 2025!'; DECLARE @encoded VARCHAR(MAX); SET @encoded = BASE64_ENCODE(CAST(@message AS VARBINARY(1000))); SELECT BASE64_DECODE(@encoded)See possible answers