When executing stored procedures it may appear simple enough to infer the data types which are being returned. However if those data types aren’t what you’d expect this could have downstream implications for the apps which are consuming the data. If we want to look at data in a table or view we can use […]
Category: SQL
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Introduction to Vertical Partitioning
When dealing with large volumes of data in SQL Server we may need to look for strategies to make querying and managing the data easier to handle. A few months back we looked at an approach where we partitioned our data into multiple segments by applying partition functions and schemes to our tables. This helps […]
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Changing Identity from INT to BIGINT
When creating tables we may choose to use an INT column with an IDENTITY set as a unique clustering value. On occasions we find out that being able to store 2,147,483,647 records just isn’t enough and we need to change this field to be a BIGINT to let us store… well, a lot more. Here I’ll outline one approach which could […]
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Querying with Aliases
When writing larger queries which return more fields or join together an increasing number of tables it can be easy for scripts to get unruly. A fundamental skill to help with the readablity of you queries is through the use of Aliases. An alias provides us a was to change how we reference part of […]
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Performance Considerations using APPLY
In the previous post we looked at how to use the CROSS APPLY and OUTER APPLY operators as alternative to a JOIN in queries with some examples. As we wrapped that up I also mentioned that there can be drawbacks to using APPLY in our queries, particularly when we’re working with large data sets. The issue is due to the way that the right hand […]
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Using Cross Apply and Outer Apply
When joining data in SQL we have a number of options to us including INNER and OUTER joins, but one of the ones I tend to use less frequently is the APPLY operator, specifically the CROSS APPLY and OUTER APPLY operators. As with other types of joins they operate slightly differently and have considerations which should be taken into account when deciding on the output […]
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Complex Updates and Deletes
The UPDATE and DELETE statements allow us to manage the data within our databases and being able to use them effectively is key. There was recently a question from a junior developer asking about how to perform data changes when table joins are required so I thought it a good opportunity to put forward some more thought out details […]
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Changing Object Schema in SQL Server
We’ve previously looked at the basics of using schemas in SQL Server where we created a schema and used objects inside of it. If you’re not dealing with new objects though and wanted to move something into or out of a schema how to we go about that? Not by renaming it For renaming most objects within […]
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Challenges with Dynamic Data Masking
Recently we’ve been looking at Dynamic Data Masking and what it can achieve for us. With that said however, there are some drawbacks to how it works which its worth being aware of before you consider implementing it. Even in the official documentation it states that the feature “limits” exposure, can be used to “simplify” design, and […]
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Dynamic Data Masking Patterns
When we initially looked at Dynamic Data Masking we used the default function to mask our data so it showed xxxx. With the masking however there are a few functions available to allow us to mask data in particular ways which may be of use depending on our use case. We’ll create a record to apply these masks against so […]
Andy Brownsword 