Just to add to Lowell's list , different SET options can cause different query plans to be created.

But 9 times out of 10 ( or even more) this sort of...

Another option

select Oid

from orders

group by oid

having MAX(item) = MIN(item)

and MIN(item) = '1063'

The obvious issue with this sort of query is that you have to have a finite limit to the depth of recursion that can be displayed.

You may be better of...

Hi ,

The problem here is that we have no idea what value

25434 for example will represent.

Is that seconds ? milliseconds ? centi-seconds ? deca-seconds ?

2 hrs 54 minutes and 34...

I dont think you have to do anything like that, just make you SSIS flat file source , "Fixed width".

Sounds like a parameter sniffing problem,

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc966425.aspx

are you using parameterized queries when it runs slow ?

Grant Fritchey has written a very good one

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Server-Performance-Tuning-Distilled-Experts/dp/1430219025/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1298905784&sr=8-1

Seems to me that BCP or OPENQUERY may be a better route for you.

In addition to what Lowell said, I wrote an article on this exact subject a while back

http://www.sqlservercentral.com/articles/T-SQL/71571/

Sounds like a better bet might be the WMI watcher

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms141130.aspx

Im assuming that this is a homework assignment!

This is quite a convoluted mess.

Altering tables ,and the excessive amounts of dynamic sql, as you have done is not something you should...

Ill be presenting at SQLBits again in april

Graveyard shift on Saturday

http://www.sqlbits.com/information/agenda.aspx

Yeah, its very overrated 😀

Gianluca Sartori (2/18/2011)

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I have to admit it was my fault.

If I didn't post on THE THREAD a "Lennie alert" nobody would have noticed, Lennie would have got his answer and...

My bad , far to subtle a reference for me to spot 😀