Generate INSERTs the new 26ai way
Six years ago(!) I did an Office Hours session where I demonstrated a little routine that would let you generate more efficient INSERTs by converting a standard INSERT-VALUES into...
2026-03-02
25 reads
INSERT-VALUES – Bigger is NOT always Better!
One of the super cool features in 26ai is the ability to extend the VALUES clause in your INSERT statements to allow multiple rows per execution. If you’re unfamiliar...
2026-02-27
34 reads
SQL Macros make so many things easier
Addenda Feb 20: I had one colleague point out a mistake, then another colleague point out something else, then I thought about it a little and found other problems…sigh. ...
2026-02-19
22 reads
26ai Quick Tip for Database Links
It seems an odd thing that so many facilities on the cloud environment take advantage of the concept of stored database credentials when it comes to authenticating/authorising access to...
2026-01-29
30 reads
Long time, no posts
I was working on two publisher contracts at the same time. I highly recommend never doing that. One is done, though, and it’s officially published as of September 2022....
2022-10-27
63 reads
How to “Rename” the Master Branch to Main in Git in Azure DevOps
I believe that language matters, and that it is worth our effort to move away from language associated with slavery and racism whenever possible. Azure DevOps doesn’t technically allow...
2020-06-26
536 reads
Create a Build with YAML for SQL Change Automation in Azure DevOps
I used to make fun of YAML because I was scared of it. I still make fun of YAML, but I’m not scared of it anymore now that Rob...
2020-06-25
183 reads
Learn TSQL for free online – starting today
Thanks to the support of Redgate, I’ve launched a new course which teaches you the basics of TSQL. The course is totally free, no logins required — we don’t...
2020-05-11
114 reads
Join the Best Worst Code Contest today at 5pm BST / Noon Eastern #BestWorstCode
I have an idea! Let’s have a “Worst Code Contest.” Why do this? Bad code is really fun — at least, when you write it on purpose. And other...
2020-04-24
50 reads
Your team can’t stop writing crappy code. Will Intelligent Query Processing fix it?
People have been writing about how evil scalar functions are in SQL Server for ten years. But people still use scalar functions in their code all the time. And...
2020-03-24
53 reads
Blogs
Automated SQL Server Benchmarking with HammerDB and Docker: A Complete Testing Framework
I’m excited to announce the release of a new open-source project that fully automates...
T-SQL Snapshot Backups on Availability Group Secondary Replicas
One of my favourite features of SQL Server 2022 was the T-SQL Snapshot Backups....
The Book of Redgate: Hours
By Steve Jones
I have said and written this many times: Redgate Software is the type of...
Forums
Optional Parameter Plan Optimization in SQL Server 2025: Fixing the Kitchen-Sink Search Procedure
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Optional Parameter Plan Optimization in...
AI Experience Gap that we keep talking about
Comments posted to this topic are about the item AI Experience Gap that we...
Question of the Day
ORDER BY alias
There is a table tmp_tab:
CREATE TABLE tmp_tab ( id int, val int );
INSERT INTO tmp_tab VALUES (1, 1), (2, NULL), (3, 3), (4, 4), (5, 5);You want to order the rows ids by the following expression:
ISNULL(val, id) + 1Which of the following queries produces the expected ordering and why? (Select all correct) See possible answers