December 2005
Itzik shows you T-SQL and CLR methods for checking whether a given string can be converted to an integer--handy additions to T-SQL's data-manipulation capabilities.
October 25, 2006
Enhancements to UPDATE in SQL Server 2005 help avoid deadlocks caused by simultaneous database requests.
October 1, 2006
Learn how to combine new T-SQL querying elements with DMFs to analyze performance statistics and aid in database tuning.
September 1, 2006
Itzik takes a SQL Server MVP's challenge: Calculate for each employee the sum of the salaries of all subordinates in all levels, including yourself.
July 31, 2006
Here's the "input" a new option for SQL Server 2005's UDF function that speeds up the processing of NULL input. Also, SQL Server 2005 lets you use more non-deterministic functions with UDFs.
July 1, 2006
SQL Server 2005 has a new synonym feature that lets you create a link in a local database that points to an object in the same SQL Server instance or in a linked server.
June 1, 2006
SQL Server 2005 has a new feature, NewSequentialID(), that I almost overlooked. This new function lets you generate sequential globally unique identifiers (GUIDs).
May 1, 2006
SQL Server 2005 introduced several new T-SQL enhancements that let you provide simple solutions to existing problems.
March 22, 2006
The TABLESAMPLE clause returns a random subset of rows in a table, giving you more-reasonably sized result sets in large-table queries.
March 22, 2006
This helpful technique lets you use SQL Server 2005 features, such as the TABLESAMPLE clause, in T-SQL code that's run against a pre–SQL Server 2005 database.
January 31, 2006
Using the SQL Server 2005 TOP option with data-modification statements produces ambiguous results. Fortunately, you have some choices for circumventing these TOP limitations.
January 3, 2006
Itzik continues last month's discussion of SQL Server 2005's TOP option by explaining how he'd improve it and providing alternative techniques that supply TOP's missing functionality.
December 20, 2005
SQL Server 2005's TOP option has some limitations that make its use ambiguous. In this and upcoming articles in the series, learn about the new TOP's missing functionality and workarounds that address its shortcomings.
November 22, 2005
Use the OVER clause in a T-SQL 2005 statement—instead of using subqueries or joins—to calculate the aggregate on a window of values.
September 28, 2005
Enhancements to the MAX specifier let you manipulate LOBs in a much easier and more flexible fashion than in previous SQL Server versions.
September 12, 2005
The TOP keyword becomes more useful in SQL Server 2005. Now you can specify an expression as an input to TOP as well as use it in INSERT, UPDATE, and DELETE statements.
July 25, 2005
SQL Server 2005 introduces a handy new operator called APPLY, which is used in a query's FROM clause.
June 27, 2005
Learn to modify data and access that just-modified data for further processing in the same transaction.
April 28, 2005
Itzik Ben-Gan finished his four-part partitions series by discussing how querying partitions has improved in SQL Server 2005 when compared to SQL Server 2000--the improved partition-elimination process and the efficient collocated joins.
March 31, 2005
Learn how to maintain partitioned tables and indexes and when you need to add or remove partitions.
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