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.
Stairway to MDX - Level 15: Basic Set Functions: The Tail() Function
Return, in order, a specified number of elements from the end of a set. SSAS Maestro, SQL Server MVP and Business Intelligence Architect Bill Pearson introduces the MDX Tail() function.
Stairway to MDX - Level 2: The Ordinal Function
Business Intelligence Architect Bill Pearson introduces the MDX Ordinal Function, as a means for generating lists and for conditionally presenting calculations. He also demonstrates the use of the function in creating datasets to support report parameter picklists.
Stairway to MDX - Level 3: The Order() Function
The Order() function provides the 'hierarchized' sorts you need for reports and applications using MDX. In this Step, Business Intelligence Architect Bill Pearson explores using the versatile Order() function for providing dataset sorts that respect dimensional hierarchies.
Stairway to MDX - Level 4: The Order() Function: Beyond Cube Hierarchies
Bill Pearson continues his examination of the versatile Order() function, focusing upon its use in providing dataset sorts that reach beyond dimensional hierarchies
Stairway to MDX - Level 5: Members, and an Introduction to the MDX Members Functions
Bill explains what is meant by a 'Member' and 'Member function' in MDX. A member is an item in a dimension that include the 'measures' which are the values of the attributes that belong to a dimension. 'Measures' are themselves members of a dimension called the “measures” dimension. MDX has a set of functions, known as member functions, each of which allow us to perform operations upon any member of a dimension
Stairway to Server-side Tracing - Level 1 - Overview of Tracing
The first part of our stairway series on SQL Trace examines the overview of this subsystem in SQL Server, it's architecture and the kind of information it returns.
Stairway to Server-side Tracing - Level 1 - Overview of Tracing
The first part of our stairway series on SQL Trace examines the overview of this subsystem in SQL Server, it's architecture and the kind of information it returns.
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Question of the Day
How Long is a Long I/O?
In SQL Server 2025, a long I/O is recorded in the error log with message 833. How long much an I/O request be outstanding before this message is written to the log?
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