In my last post, I discussed some of the DML commands in SQL Server. This week I want to discuss another category of commands – Data Definition Language, or DDL. DDL is used to define or redefine the structure of the database. The commands that are used for DDL are as follows: CREATEDROP ALTERRENAMETRUNCATE So…… Continue reading How to Define objects

For a while now, I’ve been talking about specific functions used within SQL Server. For example, I’ve talked about DATALENGTH, REPLICATE, and STUFF, along with many others. And all that is great and should be known if you work with SQL Server on a regular basis. But today, I want to talk about the different…… Continue reading Unique Categories of Commands within SQL

Last time, we were able to go over a way to group data that is probably not familiar to many. This time, I want to go over an extra piece to that puzzle that should add even more functionality to your repertoire when it comes to data functionality. First, we have the basic query that…… Continue reading Grouping Items in Such A Way

A lot of the time you’re going to be asked to group items. Sometimes, you have to look at the exact same data in multiple ways. It can be just flat ugly to look at but it does what you need to. Well, today we can talk about a way to make it a bit…… Continue reading Getting Data to Group Better

Sometimes you’ll find a fun little function that can actually help you out a lot with your coding. Today’s function is just that for me. When I first heard about QUOTENAME, I was like “This is rather useless. It just puts brackets around whatever. I can do it just as easily hard-coding the strings.” Truly,…… Continue reading Quoth the Raven… Nevermore

Time for some real talk, my friends. When I first started working with SQL Server, I learned how to program in quite possibly the worst way possible – from “experts” who had just been let go from the company I worked at. For a good month, I walked through every bit of SQL code I…… Continue reading STUFF that can make your life easier

Previously, we talked about the REPLACE and TRANSLATE functions and how similar, but not quite the same they are. Today, I want to talk about yet another function that does something similar but not quite the same. Today, I want to discuss the STUFF function and how it can add or even replace parts of…… Continue reading Ain’t Nothing Like Saying STUFF this & Moving On

Most of us have used the REPLACE function several times in our daily lives. This function, as you may remember, takes one string and replaces it with another, as seen below: Please don’t do this change in Production There is another function within SQL Server that many people think does the same thing, but with…… Continue reading Doing Something with the REPLACE function

In our last session together, one of the many items we talked about was the fact that I asked that you use the DATALENGTH function instead of the LEN function because you could be using UNICODE data. The LEN function is used in SQL to find out – surprise, surprise – the length of a…… Continue reading Unicode Data and Keeping DBAs Happy

One of the many fun things we’re asked to do as a person who works with data is that we’re asked to do some manipulation of data – especially when we’re asked to pad data with 0’s to make a string longer that is numerical. For example, I’ve been asked many times to provide data…… Continue reading Padding Data In Multiple Ways