Testing Databases: What’s Required?

Phil Factor reviews the various types of database test that need to run during development work, what sort of test data they require, and the challenges with managing this data, and in keeping the test cell stocked with the correct database, and data, in a way that allows rapid cycles of database testing.

Are Differential Backups Necessary?

SQL Server natively supports 3 types of backups: Full, Differential and Log. Full backups take a complete backup of the entire database, while Log backups take a backup of the database’s transaction log. So, What are Differential backups? Are they really necessary?

Using Column Sets for Sparsely Populated Columns

SQL Server has a little-known feature called Column Sets that is very useful when dealing with large numbers of sparse columns. Sparse columns are useful when you need a table with many columns where the rows are sparsely populated with data.

The Collapse Operator

The Collapse operator is typically used to optimize update processing, usually in combination with Split and Sort operators. This operator combines combinations of rows that represent a delete and an insert for the same key value (or set of key values in the case of a multi-column key) into a single row that represents an update. Other rows are passed unchanged.

SQL For Cosmos DB – Tips and Tricks

Building on the introduction to the SQL used by Cosmos DB in the first article in the series, here you will learn how to handle some of the more classic challenges that you may face when querying JSON documents. Adam Aspin shows you some of the workarounds that are useful in practice when finding and shaping output data ready for further analysis.

Exporting Data to Flat File with BCP Utility and Importing data with Bulk Insert

The BCP (Bulk Copy Program) utility in SQL Server allows database administrators to import data into a table and export data from a table into a flat file. The BCP utility also supports various features that facilitate the process of exporting and importing of the bulk data.

The Difference Between Primary Key And Unique Key

“What is the difference between a primary key constraint and a unique key constraint?” This is probably the most frequently-asked job interview question for database developers. In this article, Ben Richardson will try to answer it.

Changing the default FTS language

Accelerated Database Recovery: How Big Is My Version Store?

When Query Store rolled out, there were a lot of questions about controlling the size, and placement of it. To date, there’s still not a way to change where Query Store data ends up, but you can manage the size pretty well.

Adding a New Transaction Log File when the Existing Log is Full

SQL Server Transaction Log files store details about every modification made to a SQL Server Data File. This includes when you need to add a 2nd log file. The act of adding a 2nd log file changes data in the primary filegroup for the database.