When does SQL Server think YYYY-DD-MM is a valid date?
In this tip, I talk about cases where SQL Server will interpret YYYY-MM-DD as YYYY-DD-MM, which is less than optimal.
Category: SQL Server
Deprecated features to take out of your toolbox – Part 1
I talk about one scenario where the system table sys.sysprocesses almost led us down the wrong path.
Bad Habits and Best Practices
An index of over a decade's worth of posts and videos involving bad habits and best practices in SQL Server.
Enforcing unique constraints where order doesn't matter
After seeing this question pop up on forums multiple times, I wrote a quick tip about enforcing unique constraints where order doesn't matter.
Performance of sys.partitions
After a question on #sqlhelp, I dug into what could be making sys.partitions slow, and how they might get the required information in a more efficient way.
Patch Tuesday 2021-01-12 : SQL Server Updates
A security fix for an elevation of privilege issue has been released for all supported versions of SQL Server.
A use case for sp_prepare / sp_prepexec
I explain a recent case where sp_prepare came in handy: trying to validate a plan guide's impact.
Navigating DBCC CHECKDB for VLDB
I recently came across an interesting issue with CHECKDB snapshots, as well as a bit of information missing from the documentation.
Parse parameter default values using PowerShell – Part 3
More background on ParamParser, some recent changes, and several syntax examples.
T-SQL Tuesday #131 : My favorite SQL Server analogy
Rob Volk asks us to share our favorite analogies that help explain database-related concepts to less technical folk.
SQL Server 2019 Cumulative Update #8
SQL Server 2019 Cumulative Update #8 is available, with 74 enhancements. The build number is 15.0.4073.23.
Parse parameter default values using PowerShell – Part 2
I've made the GitHub repository for ParamParser public; here is some more background behind this project.
SQL Server 2016 SP2 Cumulative Update #15
SQL Server 2016 SP2 Cumulative Update #15 is available, with 21 enhancements. The build number is 13.0.5850.14.
Parse parameter default values using PowerShell – Part 1
I've started a new project to parse default values from stored procedures and functions.
Please don't use sys.sp_columns!
If you ever use sys.sp_columns as shorthand for catalog views, please don't, and I'll tell you why.
When pigs fly : My first Windows PC build in over a decade
Whether you love or fear new PC builds, it's not every day a Mac person builds a Windows PC. See the parts I chose and how much more economical this option can be.
SQL Server 2019 Cumulative Update #7
SQL Server 2019 Cumulative Update #7 is available, with 56 enhancements. The build number is 15.0.4063.15.
Please stop using this UPSERT anti-pattern
There is a very common anti-pattern you should avoid, involving updating a row if it exists and inserting it if it doesn't. See how to avoid race conditions and deadlocks.
Sometimes you CAN upsize a column in-place
Altering a fixed-width column on a large table can often mean either a lot of planning or a lot of downtime, but in some scenarios there may be an easy out.
Altering a column ONLINE might still be a disruptive, size-of-data operation
We had a case where we increased a varchar column's size, ONLINE, but it caused significant downstream effects. See why.
Help improve STRING_SPLIT without threatening backward compatibility
There are some limitations with STRING_SPLIT that could be overcome, but the cleanest solution might be to add a new function altogether.