Generate Test Data Quickly With Cross Joins
Need to rough up some bulk test data in a hurry? A carefully thought-out Cross Join could be the answer.
Putting 'FOR XML' to Use
Want to take advantage of some of the benefits of using XML for data exchange, take a look at 'FOR XML' in SQL 2000.
Using the Public Role to Manage Permissions
This article by Andy Warren discusses both how to use the Public Role and how using Public may cause you more problems than it's worth. Great examples!
Conversion of DB2 Data to SQL Server through DTS
In this article, Brian Knight shows you how to convert data stored in DB2 to SQL Server using DTS.
Someone Actually Thought This Through
A response from Great Plains Software on the use of the sa account in Dynamics software.
Avoiding Bottlenecks with Temporary Tables
Were you aware that the act of populating a temporary table can cause system-wide bottlenecks on your server? Problems can occur both with SQL Server 6.5 and 7.0/2000 in different ways, and in this article Neil Boyle discusses how best to avoid them.
Configuring SQL Server 6.5
A properly configured SQL Server can mean the difference between a sluggish server and one that runs well. There are a few pitfalls that you can experience in doing this.
IIS Connection Pooling ? ADO Gotcha!
This article by Leon Platt speaks to how you can avoid pulling your hair out when configuring connection pooling for IIS.
Rants about the sa account!
Using the sa account in development is just plain dumb. Here are some reasons why!
Character Datatype Decisions
The type of datatypes that you use in your schema could impact the performance and the accuracy of your database.
Blogs
Announcements from the Microsoft Fabric Community Conference — Barcelona 2026
By James Serra
Microsoft shared a broad set of Fabric, Power BI, and SQL updates at FabCon...
Au Revoir for now
By Steve Jones
No, I’m not quitting or retiring. Just going on vacation, but I leave tonight...
Forums
Let's Talk Certifications
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Let's Talk Certifications, which is...
The Hidden Security Risks of Role Combination in SSAS Tabular
Comments posted to this topic are about the item The Hidden Security Risks of...
The Empty Aggregate
Comments posted to this topic are about the item The Empty Aggregate
Question of the Day
The Empty Aggregate
I have this table in a SQL Server 2025 database:
CREATE TABLE [dbo].[CustomerOrder] ( [OrderID] [int] NULL, [CustomerID] [int] NULL, [total] [money] NULL ) ON [PRIMARY] GOWhat is returned from this code? (answers are for the sum and then the count)
SELECT SUM(total) AS sum,
COUNT(total) AS count
FROM dbo.CustomerOrder;
See possible answers