I've not hit the magic billion but I have done 100's millions.

I used to take the production server down for a morning when I did it.

My approach was as follows

• Calculate...

If you are going to block NULLs from the database you have to put checking in the client layer to ensure that there is no way that a user can...

Do you import it into  NVARCHAR, NCHAR, NTEXT fields?

If you try and import it into VARCHAR, CHAR and TEXT fields then the characters will simply convert into the low byte...

If you are running stuff on server 1 and pushing to server 2 why not turn the problem on its head and run from server 2 and pull from server...

How are you copying the data?

• DTS
• Replication
• Some manual process

Are your servers linked or remote. 

I had a number of problems with remote servers.  As you know BOL recommends the use of...

What login does the target server think you are?

What permissions does that login have?

I've found that if I create a login on one machine ,then copy that login to 2nd...

99% of the time I use ISNULL.  It does what it says on the tin.

COALESCE is useful when you have to have some form of construct that is IF @a...

Depends on their caffeine intake

Seriously though, there are so many factors that determine how much administrative work needs to be done that it...

There are certain coding jobs that are the IT equivalent of cleaning the loo.

Dealing with NULLs, dates and default values etc.

If you can take this away from your developers and...

If you are absolutely positive that the records that you are about to delete don't have an related records in other tables then, as part of the delete process, try...

When you say that two table reference your 10 million row table, do you mean that there is a logical relationship or a physical i.e. foreign key constraints enforcing the...

I take it that you checked the client's source data?

Oooh the quandary.  Should I give the answer that the question wants or the actual answer received.

It's like being at college again where you give the answer your lecturer wants to...

Actually I would approach your problem from a completely different angle.

There are out-of-the-box e-commerce solutions out there and I would simply choose the one that is nearest your requirements.

They are...

The enterprise edition is one hell of a lot of money for......not really that much unless you are into major league stuff.

I would work out precisely what it is that...