How To Keep Up with SQL Server

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How To Keep Up with SQL Server

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Jeff Moden SSC Guru Points: 1003870 More actions · Answer 1

Eric M Russell (8/3/2015)
Jeff Moden (7/31/2015)
It used to be bad enough just to keep up with the new features and when to use them. Lately, a new wrinkle has been added to the mix that I have absolutely no appreciation for and, to be honest, wish that Microsoft would stop doing.
Here's one classic example that I'm doing a lightning presentation for...
...
CONVERT(CHAR(10),SomeDate,101) --mm/dd/yyyy
...
FORMAT(SomeDate,N'MM/dd/yyyy')
...
Apparently the implementation of the FORMAT() function is entirely differernt (and several orders of magnitude less optimized) than the legacy CONVERT() function. However, essentially these functions perform the same task: accepting a string and a formatting code. The design team for SQL Server could have used something like... I think it's called delegation (?)... so that FORMAT() would simply be a declarative wrapper for the CONVERT() function.

Absolutely agreed. Instead, they decided to "improve" the underlying code, possibly for supportability in the future and likely used .Net functionality (heh... I wonder if they used RegEx, that would explain a lot) instead of whatever was being used for CONVERT. It's amazing to me that there didn't seem to be any consideration for performance.

--Jeff Moden

RBAR is pronounced "ree-bar" and is a "Modenism" for Row-By-Agonizing-Row.
First step towards the paradigm shift of writing Set Based code:
________Stop thinking about what you want to do to a ROW... think, instead, of what you want to do to a COLUMN.

Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.

Helpful Links:
How to post code problems
How to Post Performance Problems
Create a Tally Function (fnTally)

Eric M Russell SSC Guru Points: 125522 More actions · Answer 2

I wonder how long it will be before folks start posting questions regarding how to hand code C procedures for use in Heckaton?

"Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise. Instead, seek what they sought." - Matsuo Basho

Cody Konior SSCarpal Tunnel Points: 4827 More actions · Answer 3

It's a thrilling topic of discussion. I think it comes down to:

- Are you satisfied doing what you're doing now?

- Is there a current or future need to change it (i.e. for your employability).

My learning path direction changed a few weeks ago when I started listening to episode one of the SQL Down Under podcast (it has about 64 episodes and started back in the SQL 2000 days). It made me realise that despite 7 years of broad experience I have massive gaps in almost everything.

- SQLXML

- SQLCLR

- Service Broker

- Full Text Search

- Replication

- DMVs (not just the ones we use day to day)

- 2012 Spatial

- 2012 Windows Functions

- Entity Framework

- SSAS (please lord)

But at least there are books available for all of these, which I've started going back through (along with old SQL Server magazines which are available online now... those are fun). That's my learning path.

What I'd like to do though is to come to grips with BI and Azure. But they seem absolutely inaccessible. The quagmire of 6 or so different Power* combinations with Excel 2010, 2013, plugins, Sharepoint, SSAS and web interfaces... combined with the new cloud-only versions, there's just nowhere to begin learning any of it and the current materials are out of date before you've even seen them because the UIs are always changing.

That's assuming you're a lucky duck with an MSDN license to do so (I have one, it's worth registering as a sole trader and buying a $600 yearly action pack license just to have it for learning because otherwise you're stuffed). That's not exactly chump change.

Anyway all of this is enough to make anyone sad.

Andy Warren SSC Guru Points: 119902 More actions · Answer 4

Cody, focus is good. It's just not possible to be good at everything!

Andy
SQLAndy - My Blog!
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Eric M Russell SSC Guru Points: 125522 More actions · Answer 5

Andy Warren (8/1/2015)
Eric, I'm cautious about "advocating". Too often we in IT push version next "just because", where the because is often more about our own worry of falling behind on skills than any real needs. Certainly that isn't always the case. I find that changes the increase limits or remove limitations are things they like to hear, new capabilities less so unless they are code free changes. For example, backup compression was a nice win because we could show space saved and it required only a config change (and a minor one). But to your point, if you don't know what is there, you can't at least put it on the options to explore list when challenges arise.

I would never push the next release of SQL Server on the basis that it has some cool new windowing functions or extended support for geo-spacial data types. It would have to be based on something like availability enhancements or a feature that provides an order of magnitude improvement in performance. However, the concern about not falling behind in terms of updated skills is real. If someone finds themselves back in job market having no experience with SQL Server beyond 2005 or 2008, then that puts them behind the eight ball.

"Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise. Instead, seek what they sought." - Matsuo Basho

Gary Varga SSC Guru Points: 82166 More actions · Answer 6

I tend to find that awareness is more key than adoption. Adoption is something that should be taken only with careful consideration. Awareness is something that we should do with eagerness.

Understanding the landscape allows us to know what to drill into or focus on when we are called to do so. At this point we may still reject adoption, however, we have given ourselves the opportunity to consider what is there through our own awareness.

Gaz

-- Stop your grinnin' and drop your linen...they're everywhere!!!