SQL Server CROSS APPLY and OUTER APPLY Helpful Examples

Microsoft introduced the APPLY operator in SQL Server 2005. Similar to a JOIN, it allows correlation between two table expressions. The key difference between the JOIN and APPLY operators is when you have a table-valued expression on the right side and want to evaluate it for each row from the left table expression. Since they produce similar results, when do you choose an APPLY versus a JOIN?

T-SQL in SQL Server 2025: Substring Changes

This article takes a look at the changes in SQL Server 2025 to the SUBSTRING function.

Regular Expressions in SQL Server 2025

This article examines the new regular expression functions added to T-SQL in SQL Server 2025.

SQL EXISTS Use Cases and Examples

I’ve seen the SQL EXISTS keyword in Microsoft SQL Server T-SQL code and don’t understand it well. What does it do? How do I use it? Are there best practices around SQL IF EXISTS?

T‑SQL BULK INSERT vs OPENROWSET: CSV Imports, File Access Gotchas, and A PowerShell Script

Most SQL bulk insert and SQL Server openrowset tutorials skip file access issues that can stop imports cold. Both the bulk insert statement and openrowset function rely on the SQL Server service account to read a source file. The SQL Server service account must have read permission on the file or its folder. It is also convenient to have read & execute as well as list folder content permissions.

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Use SQL to Find a String in Database Tables, Stored Procedures, and User Defined Functions

Searching for a string in database tables has been discussed over the years. There are several approaches to the problem (see References at the end of the article). See how to use SQL to find a string in different types of SQL Server objects and data.

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The New SQL Server 2025 Data type

The Tightly Linked View