Tally Tables in T-SQL

The Tally (or Numbers) table is one of the most useful constructs in intermediate-level SQL. Have you ever written a...

Getting an INDEX SEEK to Speed up LIKE “%string%” Searches

In today’s blog I will attempt to challenge the popularly held notion that LIKE “%string%” wildcard searches must be slow...

Common Table Expressions in SQL

In SQL Server 2005, Microsoft introduced the Common Table Expression (CTE).  CTEs share similarities with VIEWS and derived tables, but...

The T-SQL ROW_NUMBER() Function

If you learn one new T-SQL (i.e., Microsoft SQL Server) concept today it should be ROW_NUMBER().  Introduced in SQL 2005,...

Creating a Date Range from Multiple Rows Based on a Single Date

When you've got only a single effective date on a record and you need to artificially create the effective end date based on a following row in T-SQL, the techniques discussed in this article will help you decide what is best.

The SQL TABLE Type: Beyond Table-Valued Parameters

Follow along as this starter article on the SQL TABLE Type walks you through the various ways it can be used in T-SQL.

Unravel Some Complex IF Logic

Variable Default Values to a Stored Procedure (SQL Spackle)

A way to assign variable and overrideable defaults to input parameters to an SP or FUNCTION using a configurations table.

Tally Tables

A Hazard of Using the SQL Merge Statement

The SQL MERGE statement can make your DML querying more efficient but you need to take care or you may get burned