Good try at an interesting trick question. I guessed the point was how many distinct object ids would be in the first 20 rows selected from sys.syscolumns, there will...

I don't think I would call SQL Server mature. SQL Server 2000 lasted long enough to become mature. Maybe SQL 2005 did, I didn't have enough contact...

sqldriver (9/29/2014)

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R1 and R10 (mirror with stripe) have the same 2x write penalty. In my experience they're the most popular configurations for TempDB and .ldf LUNs.

R5 (stripe with parity) has...

Deidentification and encryption have different purposes and usually it makes no sense to use one where the other is appropriate; there are cases where you should used both.

Deidentification is...

SQLRNNR (9/29/2014)

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andrew.ing (9/29/2014)

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Something I've never quite understood is why RAND() is like it is - that is, contrary to what perhaps most people would want and expect: creating a (pseudo)...

edwardwill (9/29/2014)

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I don't use the Redgate tool so I can't comment on that - I tend to write my code directly into a Management Studio window (or, if I know...

Ouch! That's wrong - not at all what I meant to say, and worse than the original....

Good question.

Just like the last question on Random, I think the explanation could be improved.

First, the misleading "for a connection" is there again. It shouldn't...

Paul White (9/26/2014)

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I do apologise for bringing "farce" to this discussion :pinch:. I know there are strong views on both sides about what is and isn't legal for the optimizer...

Steve Jones - SSC Editor (9/25/2014)

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There's nothing right or wrong about aliasing. It's preference.

I try to use them often, because I find many queries quickly get complex and it's much...

Paul White (9/25/2014)

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It is not a bug (in SQL Server, the T-SQL code has a bug, of course).

There is always a temptation to read T-SQL as a sequence of steps,...

Miles Neale (9/25/2014)

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Tom,

A simple question for I agree that the result of the RAND is deterministic and the basis of your statement is correct on face value. The question...

That addition makes it an...

Sean Lange (9/25/2014)

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Between the spammers and crussell commenting on every single QOTD from the last 8 years there is next to nothing going on around here lately. I am concerned...

Craig@Work (3/9/2010)

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What do the various published SQL standards have to say about this behaviour?

Surely, it is no more of a glitch, than say SQL being relatively lenient over implicit type...