Stairway to Data, Level 8: Data Encoding Schemes - Part II
Joe discusses Hierarchical, Vector and Concatenation encoding before rounding up with general guidelines for designing encoding schemes.
Stairway to Database Design Level 1: Data Elements
Before you start to think about your database schema or tables, you need to consider your data: the type of data it is, the scale you use for values. It needs to be unique, precise and unambiguous. Then you need to name it in such a way that it can be generally understood. Joe Celko explains...
Stairway to Database Design Level 2: Domains, Constraints and Defaults
A clear understanding of SQL Data Types and domains is a fundamental requirement for the Database Developer, but it is not elementary. If you select the most appropriate data type, it can sidestep a variety of errors. Furthermore, if you then define the data domains as exactly as possible via constraints, you can catch a variety of those problems that would otherwise bedevil the work of the application programmer.
Stairway to Database Design Level 3: Building Tables
There are several types of tables, each with their special requirements for rules and integrity constraints. Whatever the requirement, table-level constraints will ensure that the rules are enforced and data integrity is maintained.
Stairway to Database Design Level 4: Building a Schema
Having described tables, Joe Celko explains how to make them work together as a database and touches on what Entity Relationships and Views are.
Stairway to Database Design Level 5: Procedures
Joe Celko tackles the subject of the Stored Procedure and its place in database design. What he writes is food for thought, even for experienced database developers.
Stairway to Database Design Level 7: Triggers
In levels one to four, we built the tables, base and virtual, of a schema. Levels five and six dealt with stored procedures. This level deals with a feature you need to avoid as much as possible; this is article is on Triggers.
Stairway to Database Design Level 9: Normalization
In the final step of Database Design, Joe Celko gives a simple but effective explanation of the normalization process and why it is important.
Stairway to MDX - Level 1: Getting Started with MDX
To learn MDX, there is really no alternative to installing the system and trying out the statements, and experimenting. William Pearson, the well-known expert on MDX, kicks off a stairway series on this important topic by getting you running from a standing start.
Stairway to MDX - Level 14: Basic Set Functions: The Head() Function
SSAS Maestro, SQL Server MVP and Business Intelligence Architect Bill Pearson introduces the MDX Head() function, which allows us to return, in order, a specified number of elements within a set.
Blogs
A New Word: on tenderhooks
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on tenderhooks – adj. feeling the primal satisfaction of being needed by someone, which...
Ramblings about data communities and your contributions, no excuses
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I have been active in the data community throughout my career. I have met...
SQL Server Journey till 2025 (brief)
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Quick Summary for Microsoft SQL Server till 2025, I am fortunate to be part...
Forums
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I have a quick question on Ola Hallengren Index Optimize Maintenance . Do we...
how do i map the "current" object entry in for each to one variable
hi, in an ssis for each loop over an object variable called MyListVariable, i...
Simulating Mercury’s Orbital Motion Using Pure T-SQL (NASA 2025 Dataset)
SQL Server is typically viewed as a transactional or analytical database engine. However, it...
Question of the Day
String Similarity I
On SQL Server 2025, when I run this, what is returned?
SELECT EDIT_DISTANCE_SIMILARITY('SQL Server', 'MySQL') See possible answers