Using Built in Functions in User Defined Functions
This short article shows an interesting technique for using the SQL built in functions inside a user defined function (UDF).
Review of Murachs SQL for SQL Server
Andy rates this one 4.5 out of 5 stars and likes it enough to recommend it's use at work. This is a book that should teach a developer how to use the key abilities of SQL. If you're looking for a book to guide your beginning/intermediate developers, this might be it.
What Your SP Can Return
Return values from stored procedures (not output params, true return values) probably aren't used as often as they should be. Robert gives you some good examples of how to use them.
DBMS vs File Management System
This is a high level article that compares the use of a DBMS with file management systems. Interesting to think about products that use the file system successfully - not everything needs SQL...or does it?
Worst Practice - Bad Connection Strings and Bad Info in Sysprocesses
Andy returns to the Worst Practice series this week with a short article looking at how connection strings in applications affect what you see in sysprocesses. Perhaps less controversial (in our opinion) that some of the other worst practices, this is something easy to fix and definitely worth fixing! Read the article and post a comment - explore other points of view! Readers posting a comment will be entered in a drawing for a copy of the SQL Server 2000 Resource Kit.
SQLCentric
This is an update to v1.2 of the product which does monitoring of your SQL servers. Looks like it checks service status, jobs, disk space, some other things. (Not Reviewed)
SQL Server Security: Why Security Is Important
Regular columnist Brian Kelley reviews the real world impact that inadequate security can have by reviewing some recent incidents in the sql/security world. Very much worth reading, especially if you have credit card data.
Lots of Tables and a Little DMO
Andy discusses a recent thread where a reader has very slow login tables with 2000 tables. After writing some DMO code (very handy by the way) and creating some objects, he can't track it down. Have any ideas?
MZTools - Addin for VB6
Freeware! This add-in gives you some great extra features when working in VB6. It has a tab index setter, options to add a chunk of error handling code, a simple code analyzer that gives you some metrics, and my favorite - an option to identify unused code and variables. If you're still using VB6 it's worth trying.
Automated Trace File Collection
This article shows how to create a trace and capture it into a table using a combination of SQL and VBScript. Direct and to the point, you can read this and try it easily.
Blogs
2025 Wrapped for Steve
By Steve Jones
I’ve often done some analysis of my year in different ways. Last year I...
The Book of Redgate: Spread across the world
By Steve Jones
This was Redgate in 2010, spread across the globe. First the EU/US Here’s Asia...
Merry Christmas
By John
Today is Christmas and while I do not expect anybody to actual be reading...
Forums
Finding Motivation
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Finding Motivation
The Last Binary Value of the Year
Comments posted to this topic are about the item The Last Binary Value of...
SQL Art, Part 2: New Year Fireworks in SSMS
Comments posted to this topic are about the item SQL Art, Part 2: New...
Question of the Day
The Last Binary Value of the Year
What does this code return?
SELECT cast(0x2025 AS NVARCHAR(20))Image 1:
Image 2: 
Image 3: 
Image 4: 
See possible answers