(G. Vijayakumar) When I first started using SQL Server as a novice, I was initially confused as to the differences between clustered and non-clustered indexes. As a developer, and new DBA, I took it upon myself to learn everything I could about these index types, and when they should be used. This a

(Vadivel Mohanakrishnan) There isn’t a prebuilt function for finding the product of column or set of values in SQL Server. But there is a workaround by using a combination of the SUM(), POWER() and LOG10() functions. If not for this query we would have to fetch all the records to the front-end and t

(Robert Westervelt)From a security standpoint, dynamic SQL creates the opportunity for SQL Injection. SQL Injection allows hackers to embed additional SQL statements into the statement that the user is to run. When code is assembled dynamically, either in an application or in a stored procedure, the

A sort order is a set of rules that determines how SQL Server collates and presents data in response to database queries. The sort order determines the order in which data is presented in response to SQL Server statements involving GROUP BY, ORDER BY, and DISTINCT clauses. The sort order also determ

(Michael Otey) SQL Server is too expensive. At least that’s what more and more readers—many of whom are looking at the free MySQL or other lower cost open-source databases—have told me over the past year. With SQL Server 2000, Microsoft introduced a per-processor licensing model, increasing the p

PARSENAME is an SQL Server function used for working with linked servers and replication. It is also a handy addition to your TSQL toolkit when writing queries involving delimited data. This article covers the standard usage of PARSENAME as well as some handy tricks from a real world scenario.

(Dan Doris) As a note, most problems I’ve seen with people setting up a virtual directory in SQLXML, tends to be from either using the normal IIS snap-in instead of the SQLXML IIS Configuration utility or the standard IIS setup has been changed. Prior to setting up SQLXML you should verify your IIS

(Robert W. McLaws) For many developers, building applications is a lot like building a family. The Business tier is like the oldest child: mature and responsible, it knows how to handle everything, and is good at telling people what to do. The Presentation tier is like the youngest child. The baby o

(Karen Gayda) Years ago when I was just breaking into the programming field I worked with Paradox databases. While Paradox pales in comparison to a database engine like SQL Server, it did have one interesting feature that has not yet been duplicated by Microsoft. When performing an insert into a tab

(Godfrey Baker) Microsoft’s .Net initiative is widely regarded as the “next big thing” for distributed application development. The promise for Web development is clear: faster development, less custom coding, and increased stability. But what is required to migrate current applications to the new p