http://www.sqlmag.com/authors/author/author/5777842/rss/5777842en-USFri, 25 May 2012 09:27:18 GMTFri, 25 May 2012 09:27:18 GMThttp://www.sqlmag.com/article/tsql3/t-sql-101-stored-proceduresThe final lesson in the T-SQL 101 series shows you how to create and execute stored procedures that get data into and out of databases.]]>Bill McEvoyTue, 28 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.sqlmag.com/article/tsql3/t-sql-101-stored-procedureshttp://www.sqlmag.com/article/tsql3/t-sql-101-built-in-functionsT-SQL offers three types of built-in functions, including scalar functions. Scalar functions let you perform a wide variety of operations, such as retrieving dates and replacing strings, with only a few lines of code.]]>Bill McEvoyMon, 29 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.sqlmag.com/article/tsql3/t-sql-101-built-in-functionshttp://www.sqlmag.com/article/tsql3/t-sql-101-the-case-functionUsing T-SQL’s CASE function, you can quickly transform numerical codes and other hard-to-decipher data into meaningful information.]]>Bill McEvoyFri, 29 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.sqlmag.com/article/tsql3/t-sql-101-the-case-functionhttp://www.sqlmag.com/article/tsql3/t-sql-101-viewsThe virtual nature of a view is its greatest strength and its greatest weakness. Here’s what you need to know to create views and use them wisely.]]>Bill McEvoyThu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.sqlmag.com/article/tsql3/t-sql-101-viewshttp://www.sqlmag.com/article/tsql3/indexed-views-vs-regular-viewsLearn how indexed views differ from regular views.]]>Bill McEvoyThu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.sqlmag.com/article/tsql3/indexed-views-vs-regular-viewshttp://www.sqlmag.com/article/sql-server/q-how-do-i-retrieve-values-from-a-table-and-store-the-results-in-a-string-Learn how to retrieve values from a table and store the results.]]>Bill McEvoyThu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.sqlmag.com/article/sql-server/q-how-do-i-retrieve-values-from-a-table-and-store-the-results-in-a-string-http://www.sqlmag.com/article/tsql3/t-sql-101-lesson-6Creating a table "the old fashioned way" leads to a better understanding of the table and its columns. Plus, the resulting T-SQL code documents the table’s structure and lets you easily recreate the table.]]>Bill McEvoyWed, 30 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.sqlmag.com/article/tsql3/t-sql-101-lesson-6http://www.sqlmag.com/article/tsql3/t-sql-101-lesson-5Understand the differences between inner, outer, and cross joins before you use them in your queries.]]>Bill McEvoyFri, 27 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.sqlmag.com/article/tsql3/t-sql-101-lesson-5http://www.sqlmag.com/article/tsql3/t-sql-101-lesson-4Thanks to the GROUP BY clause, you can write SELECT queries that produce detailed reports.]]>Bill McEvoyWed, 28 May 2008 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.sqlmag.com/article/tsql3/t-sql-101-lesson-4http://www.sqlmag.com/article/tsql3/t-sql-101-lesson-3SELECT queries aren’t just for retrieving data. You can also summarize that data by incorporating COUNT, MIN, MAX, AVG, and SUM functions into SELECT queries.]]>Bill McEvoyTue, 29 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.sqlmag.com/article/tsql3/t-sql-101-lesson-3http://www.sqlmag.com/article/tsql3/take-the-drudgery-out-of-making-sure-your-databases-are-being-backed-up-properlyEnsuring that databases are being backed up properly is an important but time-consuming task, especially for DBAs who manage multiple servers and databases. The sp_ShowBackups stored procedure makes this task quick and easy.]]>Bill McEvoyTue, 29 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.sqlmag.com/article/tsql3/take-the-drudgery-out-of-making-sure-your-databases-are-being-backed-up-properlyhttp://www.sqlmag.com/article/tsql3/2-stored-procedures-to-tune-your-indexesIf you have to perform a full index analysis, here are two T-SQL stored procedures you can use to get detailed information about the indexes in a single table or an entire database.]]>Bill McEvoyFri, 28 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.sqlmag.com/article/tsql3/2-stored-procedures-to-tune-your-indexeshttp://www.sqlmag.com/article/quering/t-sql101-lesson-2Using a database named MyDB, a table named MyTable, and some dummy tables, you can learn how to create T-SQL queries that insert new data, update existing data, and delete old data.]]>Bill McEvoyFri, 28 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.sqlmag.com/article/quering/t-sql101-lesson-2http://www.sqlmag.com/article/tsql3/t-sql-101-lesson-1Whether you are new to T-SQL or you just want to brush up on the basics, you’ll want to read and save this guide that walks you through how to write SELECT statements. Learn how to order and rename columns and how to filter and sort results.]]>Bill McEvoyThu, 28 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.sqlmag.com/article/tsql3/t-sql-101-lesson-1http://www.sqlmag.com/article/tsql3/stored-procedure-documents-scheduled-jobs-in-sql-serverUsing SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) to document job schedules involves a lot of mouse-clicking and cutting and pasting. You can avoid all that hassle by using the sp_ShowJobSchedules stored procedure.]]>Bill McEvoyFri, 25 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.sqlmag.com/article/tsql3/stored-procedure-documents-scheduled-jobs-in-sql-serverhttp://www.sqlmag.com/article/tsql3/take-advantage-of-osql-and-bcp-without-having-to-remember-all-their-command-line-optionsHere’s a stored procedure that consolidates the basic functions of osql and bcp. Switching between these utilities’ output is simply a matter of changing the value of an input parameter.]]>Bill McEvoyThu, 25 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.sqlmag.com/article/tsql3/take-advantage-of-osql-and-bcp-without-having-to-remember-all-their-command-line-optionshttp://www.sqlmag.com/article/internet/searching-the-web-for-sql-topics-give-sql-hunter-a-tryHere’s a search engine that targets SQL-related Web sites, which means you can enter fewer parameters when conducting searches for SQL material.]]>Bill McEvoyThu, 19 Apr 2007 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.sqlmag.com/article/internet/searching-the-web-for-sql-topics-give-sql-hunter-a-tryhttp://www.sqlmag.com/article/tsql3/a-quick-and-easy-way-to-view-errorlog-filesUsing sp_ShowErrors to view SQL Server errorlog files is time-saving alternative to manually reviewing them in Enterprise Manager.]]>Bill McEvoyThu, 22 Mar 2007 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.sqlmag.com/article/tsql3/a-quick-and-easy-way-to-view-errorlog-fileshttp://www.sqlmag.com/article/tsql3/retrieve-triggers-from-the-sql-command-promptThe sp_ListTriggers stored procedure lets you list all the triggers in the current database or the triggers in a specific table.]]>Bill McEvoyFri, 23 Feb 2007 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.sqlmag.com/article/tsql3/retrieve-triggers-from-the-sql-command-prompthttp://www.sqlmag.com/article/tsql3/prove-that-the-database-isn-t-to-blameIf you’ve ever had users call to tell you that a SQL Server database is slow, you’ll likely find sp_Now a handy tool. This stored procedure determines what processes are currently executing and consuming resources on a database server.]]>Bill McEvoyThu, 21 Sep 2006 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.sqlmag.com/article/tsql3/prove-that-the-database-isn-t-to-blame