InfoQ Homepage SQL Server Content on InfoQ
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New File Storage Mechanism for SQL Server
SQL Server was never designed to act as a file system, but many developers use it that way nonetheless. Countless content management systems rely on either shoving large files into blobs or storing filenames. SQL Server 2008 seeks to correct this by introducing a filestream option that can be applied to a varbinary(max) column.
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Recursive Selects using Common Table Expressions
Relational databases are great for storing most forms of structured data. The most notable exception is recursive data. Tree-like structures, essential for menus, normally require awkward stored procedures to efficiently return. SQL Server 2005 does have an answer though.
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Table Value Constructors and Compound Assignments for SQL Server 2008
In SQL Server 2008, T-SQL will be getting some welcome enhancements to the syntax itself. Included among these are table value constructors, also known as row constructors, inline variable declaration, and compound assignments.
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Launch Date set for Visual Studio 2008, SQL Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008
Yesterday Kevin Turner announced the release date of the next versions of Visual Studio, SQL Server Windows Server at the Worldwide Partner Conference in Denver, CO.
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Sparse Columns Added to SQL Server 2008
SQL Server 2008 has lifted the limit of 1024 columns per table with a new option called "sparse columns". While this seems like its excessive, some developers have been running up against this limit.
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SQL Server Always-On Solution Review Program
When building a mission critical database, a lot of attention needs to be paid to the hardware. Simply getting the fastest drives isn't enough if those drives cannot be hot swapped or corrupt data whenever the power fails. Fortunately Microsoft has created a program for choosing the correct storage mechanism.
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Using Regular Expressions in SQL Server Integration Services
Jamie Thomson demonstrates how to use .NET scripts in a SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) pipeline to add Regular Expression support.
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Visual Studio for Database Professionals Released
Microsoft has developed what they call "tools for building SQL databases in a managed project environment with support for versioning, deployment, unit testing, refactoring, and off-line SQL development." These tools, released under the name Visual Studio for Database Professionals, claim to offer a way to develop databases in the same off-line fashion as traditional applications.
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SQL Server Best Practices Website
Mark Souza of Microsoft has announced a new web site for database administrators and developers called SQL Server - Best Practices. This site offers a wide range of material from top 10 lists suitable for novices to the in-depth technical white papers needed by seasoned professionals.
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Tips on query normalization with SQL Server 2005
SQL Server application developers to want to normalize the query text returned in a Profiler trace. This allows the performance of a query to be more easily tracked and measured. Ken Henderson shares his insightful thoughts through a blog post on query normalization.