How do I look at my error log if SQL won’t open?
Quick and easy post today. Hopefully you’ve opened the error log on a SQL instance. However, what happens if you...
2018-10-31 (first published: 2018-10-22)
2,648 reads
SQLStudies
What is the Object Explorer Details tab good for?
For a long time there I would see the Object Explorer Details tab show up when I opened SSMS (SQL...
2018-10-17
288 reads
Highlighting sp_spaceused
I’ve been using sp_spaceused a lot recently so I thought I would bring it up again. Basically it’s a quick...
2018-10-15
234 reads
Which is faster? IN (list) or IN (SELECT FROM Temp)
If you’ve done much with IN (list) then you’ve realized that it basically translates out to
col=val1 OR col=val2 OR...
2018-10-11
2,489 reads
Letting the business bully you: T-SQL Tuesday #107
Before I start anything I want go give a disclaimer. I absolutely believe that the business should be involved in...
2018-10-09
229 reads
Generate a random number of children for each parent
I was asked an interesting question the other day.
Is it possible to get a different random number of rows...
2018-10-17 (first published: 2018-10-03)
2,065 reads
SQL Homework – October 2018 – Time for an upgrade
When you created your home lab last September you probably installed a version of SQL 2016. Well, SQL 2017 was...
2018-10-01
313 reads
Data Types Word Search
Just for fun here is a word search with all of the data types available in SQL Server. Well, two...
2018-10-05 (first published: 2018-09-26)
1,837 reads
Escaping strings
No, I’m not talking about that nightmare everyone has where a bunch of strings are chasing you across a loom.
Not...
2018-09-24
894 reads
You can’t DELETE TOP (x) with an ORDER BY
Did you know you can’t do this?
DELETE TOP (10)
FROM SalesOrderDetail
ORDER BY SalesOrderID DESC;Msg 156, Level 15, State 1, Line 8
Incorrect...
2018-09-27 (first published: 2018-09-19)
3,218 reads
Blogs
T-SQL Tuesday #203: Risk and Reward
By Steve Jones
This is timely, as I’m currently on a boat in the Adriatic taking a...
dataMinds Connect 2026 – Slides & Scripts
You can find the slides and SQL scripts for my session “Spice up your...
How to Clear the SSMS Cache (SSMS 21 and Later)
By SQLPals
How to Clear the SSMS Cache (SSMS 21 and Later) Updated...
Forums
Using CHOOSE()
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Using CHOOSE()
Re-Seeding a Broken Log Shipping Secondary (Without Touching the Primary)
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Re-Seeding a Broken Log Shipping...
The DBA is Dead! Long Live the !
Comments posted to this topic are about the item The DBA is Dead! Long...
Question of the Day
Using CHOOSE()
We have this code that sets some status values and then queries them using the CHOOSE() function in SQL Server 2025.
CREATE TABLE Status
(
StatusID INT,
StatusDescription VARCHAR(20)
);
GO
INSERT dbo.Status
(
StatusID,
StatusDescription
)
VALUES
(0, 'Uncategorized'),
(1, 'Active'),
(2, 'Inactive'),
(3, 'Temp');
GO
SELECT CHOOSE(StatusID, 'Unknown', 'Active', 'Inactive', 'Temporary')
FROM Status;
When the SELECT runs, what is returned? See possible answers