If you do not want SQL to spend time doing a data type conversion for every row in the query, you should make the 80 into a character string ...=...

BOL has some good information.  If you are installing SP2, get the latest available BOL update.  Otherwise Google can find you things.

If you let SQL try to use more memory than is available on the machine, then it will try to do this.  Your original query probably took so much time...

A DB2 CLOB is a large object.  It looks like you are trying to put this into a Comments field with a length of 329.  This is likely to be...

The install media for SQL 2005 (and SQL 2008!) is split into 2 CDs, or 2 folders if installing from DVD.

CD 2 (\Tools folder) contains just the client tools install media

CD...

You are giving yourself a lot of work just to stand still.  As people have said, to move from Crystal to SSRS means re-engineering your reports.  The same applies for...

I have run W2003 R2 SP2 with SQL Server 2005 SP2 in 32-bit and 64-bit without problems.  I have also tried SQL Server 2008 on 64-bit W2003 R2 SP2 and...

Sherry Hu,

Look in all the system databases for any objects labelled as User.  Anything labelled as System will be replaced by SQL Server 2005 system objects.

In msdb there are some...

I agree with Joe.  MSDE by default sets Autoshrink ON, which is a good way to kill performance.  Definitely make sure Autoclose and Autoshrink are OFF. 

Auto update statistics can...

Steve Hogan,

Where are you based?  Maybe someone who monitors this thread is nearby and can offer some free help.

I would strongly advise that you do NOT try to restore system databases from SQL 2000 or SQL 7 to SQL 2005.  There are a number of changes made to...

I have done a number of Vista (and Windows 2008) installs on my home machines.  They were all done on empty partitions as I did not want any side-affects from the...

You are missing a file because Microsoft assumed that only people in the US would ever want to configure a Agent proxy account.

In the SQL server (not client!) program...

We have done what #1CoolGuy suggests as part of our standard build...  We set the number of log to 30, and have a job that runs at midnight each day...

Don't copy or restore msdb from SQL 2000 to a clean install of sql 2005 - there are changes to this database in SQL 2005 that will be lost if you do. ...