Lesson #6: What CIOs really care about
This editorial was originally published on Dec 30, 2005. Steve is traveling to the UK this week and we are reprinting editorials.
TSQL Challenge 60 - Generate a relational tree structure from a string
Your job is to read a string containing product hierarchy information and generate a relational table (result set) representing the hierarchy of categories.
Free ebook: SQL Server Execution Plans
This free book is brought to you by Red Gate Software and Simple Talk Publishing. Why my query is running slow? Why isn't my index getting used? In order to answer these questions, you have to ask the same return question in each case: have you looked at the execution plan? Grant Fritchey provides the only dedicated and detailed guide to this essential topic.
Monitor SQL Server Replication Jobs
The Replication infrastructure in SQL Server is implemented using SQL Server Agent to execute the various components involved in the form of a job (e.g. LogReader agent job, Distribution agent job, Merge agent job) SQL Server jobs execute a binary executable file which is basically C++ code.
Self-aware Instances
For this Friday's poll, Steve Jones talks about a fundamental architectural decision for your software. Do you want central control or a series of distributed processes, each one self-aware, and able to act on its own.
SQL Overview SSIS Package II - Retrieving SQL Error Log
In Part II of his series on monitoring SQL Servers, David Bird takes a look at importing data from your error logs.
How to develop TSQL Code
The basic texts for developing SQL code tend to leave unsaid the basic techniques for building routines such as stored procedures in TSQL. Phil Factor is well-known for his more lengthy and complex stored procedures, so we asked him to explain in more detail how he goes about developing things without the comfort of Visual Studio.
Measurements
"If you cannot measure something, you cannot improve it." - Lord Kelvin. That quote and a blog about it inspired today's editorial.
The RECOMPILE Options
This artcle attempts to differentiate between the uses of WITH RECOMPILE and OPTION (RECOMPILE) features.
Blogs
10 Decisions to Make Before You Create A Fabric Workspace
Creating a Fabric workspace takes about 30 seconds. Restructuring workspaces after people have built...
Flyway Tips: Object History
By Steve Jones
It’s a small change, but a handy one. Flyway Desktop (FWD) now includes the...
Car Update September 2026
By Steve Jones
Software is hard. While I love our Lucid Gravity, I realize that they are...
Forums
Adding new column with DEFAULT II
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Advanced Deployment Scenarios: Stairway to Reliable Database Deployments Level 7
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You Need a DBA Pipeline
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Question of the Day
Adding new column with DEFAULT II
Which number did the two COUNT(*) return:
DROP TABLE IF EXISTS #tmp CREATE TABLE #tmp (id INT NOT NULL) INSERT INTO #tmp (id) SELECT gs.value FROM GENERATE_SERIES(1, 5) AS gs ALTER TABLE #tmp ADD my_value INT NOT NULL CONSTRAINT df_tmp_my_value DEFAULT 1 SELECT COUNT(*) FROM #tmp AS t WHERE my_value = 1 ALTER TABLE #tmp DROP CONSTRAINT df_tmp_my_value ALTER TABLE #tmp ADD CONSTRAINT df_tmp_my_value DEFAULT 2 FOR my_value SELECT COUNT(*) FROM #tmp AS t WHERE my_value = 1See possible answers