Queries are the database equivalent of filters in a spreadsheet. Just as a filter can limit and reorganize the information displayed in a spreadsheet, so a query limits and reorganizes the information ...

So much of modern programming is about string manipulation. Whether it’s parsing XML content, building HTML for the browser or trying to understand what the user just typed into that text entry field, ...

A common SQL habit is to use SELECT * on a query, because it’s tedious to list all the columns you need. Plus, sometimes those columns may change over time, so why not just do things the easy way? But ...

One of the most common problems when running SQL Servers is slow queries. The help desk or database team usually hears that described as the application is slow or ...

SQL is neither the fastest nor the most elegant way to talk to databases, but it is the best way we have. Here’s why Today, Structured Query Language is the standard means of manipulating and querying ...

In a previous article, I talked about getting started with managing SQL server using PowerShell and the Server Management Objects (SMO). While that was mostly spent making the connection and doing ...