In my last post, we worked out how to change the data type of a field if it already existed and was found to need changing. This time, I want to add a fresh, new column to an existing table. In SQL Server, I would be doing something like the following. ALTER TABLE dbo.TestTable ADD…… Continue reading Getting New and Old Columns to a Table
How to Efficiently Change Data Types in Snowflake for Optimal Performance
When working with data, I usually have an idea of what type of data I will push into a field. Sometimes, for whatever reason, it is decided to change the type of data allowed in the field. Today, I want to show how that’s done in Snowflake. I will start out working with a simple…… Continue reading How to Efficiently Change Data Types in Snowflake for Optimal Performance
Odd things found when working with data
Sometimes, you’ll find all sorts of craziness when you’re working with data. Especially if you don’t expect there to be any craziness. Let me show you what I mean by a story of what I had happen just this week. In mapping some data from one database to another, I was asked to do the…… Continue reading Odd things found when working with data
Even more Great Queries Using Query History
In our last post, we talked about some of my favorite queries I use in Snowflake to see various items of interest – such as finding the worst-performing queries. For today’s post, though, I want to talk about performance tuning. Yes, you read that right. We’re going to use query history to do some fun…… Continue reading Even more Great Queries Using Query History
Some Great Queries Using the Query History
Now that we know so much about getting data from Snowflake using the query history, we should be able to get all kinds of data that will be helpful for us. In the next few queries, I want to provide some queries I use that should make your Snowflake usage a bit more useful. The…… Continue reading Some Great Queries Using the Query History
Even more Query History in Snowflake
In previous posts, we have discussed differing ways of getting at the query history. In those posts, we discussed getting that data by the session or by a specific user. Today, I want to examine another way of getting to that data. This new way – is by warehouse. I have tried to set up…… Continue reading Even more Query History in Snowflake
Querying History By Sessions in Snowflake
Last time, we talked about a query using the Query_History_By_User table function in Snowflake. This time, I want to discuss a similar table function named Query_History_By_Session. Thankfully, it works in a very similar fashion to Query_History_By_User. SELECT * FROM TABLE(SNOWFLAKE.INFORMATION_SCHEMA.QUERY_HISTORY_BY_USER()) ORDER BY START_TIME DESC; Yes, it shows the same information as Query_History_By_User, so I am…… Continue reading Querying History By Sessions in Snowflake
Cool Items in Snowflake that Aren’t in SQL Server
Yes, I know. The name of today’s post is certainly clickbait. But it’s true! There are so many things you can do in Snowflake that may – or may not – be possible in SQL Server, at least not without several tricks and possibly low-level querying. So, let’s start shall we? What did I run?…… Continue reading Cool Items in Snowflake that Aren’t in SQL Server
Common Table Expressions Can Be A Good Thing
Most of our coding these days has Common Table Expressions, also known as CTEs. If not, you’re either working on an older version of SQL Server or you haven’t been introduced to this piece of goodness. CTEs can make reading SQL queries a lot easier if the logic is convoluted. For example, let’s use the…… Continue reading Common Table Expressions Can Be A Good Thing
That’s Just NOT Right
Today, I want to talk about the keyword NOT in SQL Server. It can be your friend or your worst enemy depending upon how you use it. Let’s delve into some examples of what I’m talking about and how it’s easy for people to mess it up. Let’s say we have a table named DataTable.…… Continue reading That’s Just NOT Right