10 Ways to Optimize SQL Server Full-text Indexing

Indexing performance has always been the Achilles' heel of SQL Server's full-text feature. Although the search performance itself is fast (very few customers complain about the search speed), users do complain (often loudly and frequently) about how slow the indexing process is–especially for large tables. Here's a few tips for you.

Customized Output Labels

SQL Server has some great solutions for writing reports easily, ensuring quick service for your customers. However many of the quick ways of generating reports from the database include the column headers in the results. And often clients who expect customized work want to see labels that are more familiar to them. Leo Peysakhovich has developed a way that allows him to easily return custom labels from his stored procedures.

PASS Summit 2004 - Another Look

Our longtime member and author, James Travis went with the SQLServerCentral.com crew to the 2004 PASS Summit in Orlando last month. For those of you that don't recognize the name, he goes by Antares686 in the forums and has been generous enough to post over 6,000 times, giving lots of his time and knowledge to helping others. He jotted down a few notes on the conference for those of you that weren't there and are considering going next year.

Cursors with SQL 2000 Part 1

This series of articles will examine the purposes, uses, and optimization of cursors in SQL 2000.

DTS: Copy Objects Task

SQL Server DTS may be one of the best tools ever included with a database server. It makes data movement, copying, any sort of ETL task a breeze. At least for the most part. Bruce Szabo found a place where the Copy Objects task sometimes doesn't work as expected. This article looks a problem he had as well as the solution that you can use to ensure that this task works reliably for you.

Architecting Disconnected Mobile Applications Using a Service Oriented

The Windows Mobile platform, which includes Microsoft .NET Compact Framework and Microsoft SQL Server CE, encapsulates the complex tasks of communication management and data exchange while your device is in a disconnected state. (16 printed pages)

PASS Summit 2004

Our resident SQL Server security expert, Brian Kelley, went with the SQLServerCentral.com crew to the 2004 PASS Summit in Orlando last month. He was kind enough to jot down a few notes on the conference for those of you that weren't there and are considering going next year.

Islands and Gaps in Sequential Numbers

As you know, relational databases are set-based and aren't particularly suited for row-at-a-time processing. However, in situations with heavily fragmented data (lots of gaps), you may find that row-based processing does better than set-based processing. Alexander Kozak demonstrates.

Incident Response - Responding to an Incident

Part 2 of Steve Jones' Incident Response series that looks at how you should be prepared as well as what to do when disaster strikes. Part 1 established a basic framework and part 2 dives deeper into what you might need for the next virus, hardware failure, or hurricane :(.

SQL Server 2000 Report Pack for Financial Reporting

The SQL Server 2000 Report Pack for Financial Reporting is a set of six Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Reporting Services reports that work with a sample financial database called FinSampleDB.

With the Report Pack, you have the choice of using the sample reports either as-is or as templates for designing new reports using the SQL Server Reporting Services Report Designer.