We previously looked at an introduction to Vertical Partitioning where we covered what it is and the potential benefits and drawbacks of using it. Here I wanted to build up some data and show how we may vertically partition it to help make it more manageable for us. So that we’ve got some relevant data to use […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Back in our introduction to partitioning I’d mentioned that using partitions can also bring us benefits in terms of performance. That performance comes in the way of partition elimination with our queries. Before we get started let’s set the stage with a sample table and one million records of data which we’ve used before: What is partition elimination Partition […]
Happy new year folks! I hope everyone enjoyed the festive period and was able to get some sort of a break to spend time with those closest to you. This past year has been a busy one personally and quite a journey with this blog too. With that in mind I thought it was worth […]
Andy Brownsword 