Replacing SQL Cursors with Alternatives to Avoid Performance Issues

Haroon Ashraf 52 views
Replacing SQL Cursors with Alternatives to Avoid Performance Issues
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In this article, we’ll look at some alternatives to using SQL cursors which can help to avoid performance issues caused by using cursors.

Before discussing the alternatives, let’s review the general concept of SQL cursors.

Quick Overview of SQL Cursors

SQL cursors are primarily used where set-based operations are not applicable and you are required to access data and perform operations one row at a time rather than applying a single set-based operation to an entire object (such as a table or a set of tables).

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SQL Server CRUD Operations – Part 2

Esat Erkeç 95 views
SQL Server CRUD Operations – Part 2
4.5 (90%) 2 votes

CRUD word is an acronym of the following essential database functions.

In the first part of CRUD article series, we mentioned the concept of the CRUD operations and then discussed the INSERT operation with examples. In this part, we will continue exploring the CRUD operations and will focus on the read, update and delete operation details of CRUD. Read More

Advanced SQL: CROSS APPLY and OUTER APPLY

Nisarg Upadhyay 1,759 views
Advanced SQL: CROSS APPLY and OUTER APPLY
5 (100%) 2 votes

In this article, we’ll look into the “APPLY” operator and its variations – CROSS APPLY and OUTER APPLY along with examples of how they can be used.

In particular, we will learn:

  • the difference between CROSS APPLY and the JOIN clause
  • how to join the output of SQL queries with table-evaluated functions
  • how to identify performance issues by querying dynamic management views and dynamic management functions.

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How to use SQL Cursors for Special Purposes

Haroon Ashraf 1,145 views
How to use SQL Cursors for Special Purposes
5 (100%) 2 votes

This article describes SQL cursors and how to use them for some special purposes. It highlights the importance of SQL cursors along with their downsides.

It is not always the case that you use SQL cursor in database programming, but their conceptual understanding and learning how to use them helps a lot to understand how to perform exceptional tasks in T-SQL programming.

SQL Cursors Overview

Let us go through some basics of SQL cursors if you are not familiar with them.

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Concatenation in Transact-SQL

Kenneth Igiri 1,354 views
Concatenation in Transact-SQL
5 (100%) 1 vote

Introduction

Assuming you maintain a table containing customer data, and your boss asks you to send him the current list of customers and their phone numbers. You would typically extract the data and send him a spreadsheet with rows and columns. You could also decide to be a bit stylish and send him the required information in a more people-friendly format. SQL Server provides functions that allow us to achieve this by combining English expressions with data within tables to present an output that is easier for non-technical people to read. These functions can also be put to more subtle uses.

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Running SQL Database Maintenance Tasks Using SQLCMD

Haroon Ashraf 877 views
Running SQL Database Maintenance Tasks Using SQLCMD
5 (100%) 1 vote

This article is about developing an advanced understanding of the Sqlcmd utility which lets you run T-SQL commands directly from the command prompt without needing SSMS (SQL Server Management Studio).

The article also highlights the importance of using Sqlcmd to perform some advanced-level database tasks that would otherwise require additional steps, e.g. getting connected to the database via a pre-installed database tool such as SSMS (SQL Server Management Studio) or SSDT (SQL Server Data Tools) followed by getting it ready to run SQL scripts against the desired database(s).

The Sqlcmd utility can be a great time saver for Database developers and DBAs since they can run the required SQL scripts right from the command line. Read More

Transferring Jobs and Schedules between Instances using T-SQL

Evgeniy Gribkov 844 views
Transferring Jobs and Schedules between Instances using T-SQL
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Introduction

Quite often, there is a need to transfer Agent jobs to a different instance of MS SQL Server. Restoring a msdb database will not always be the best decision – there are cases in which you will need to transfer only the Agent jobs specifically, and these cases are not uncommon. Also, this wouldn’t work if the recipient MS SQL Server instance is of a newer version than the one you’re transferring the jobs from. So, how can you transfer the Agent jobs without restoring the msdb database?

We will look at an example of a T-SQL script which copies the Agent jobs from one instance of MS SQL Server to another. This solution was tested by transferring jobs from MS SQL Server 2012-2016 to MS SQL Server 2017.

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SQL Server Bulk Insert – Part 2

Esat Erkeç 586 views
SQL Server Bulk Insert – Part 2
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In the previous part of this article, we discussed how to import CSV files to SQL Server with the help of BULK INSERT statement. We discussed the main methodology of bulk insert process and also the details of BATCHSIZE and MAXERRORS options in scenarios.  In this part, we will go through some other options (FIRE_TRIGGERS, CHECK_CONSTRAINTS and TABLOCK) of bulk insert process in various scenarios.

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Implementing Automated Database Backup and Restore with Default Means

Evgeniy Gribkov 1,203 views
Implementing Automated Database Backup and Restore with Default Means
4 (80%) 4 votes

Introduction

You can find a lot of guides on how to backup and restore databases. In this one, we’ll show how this can be done using the default MS SQL Server means.

This example will cover a number of approaches – from checking the database’s integrity before backing it up to restoring the database from a previously created backup copy.

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SQL Server 2019 New Features

Amarendra Babu 2,227 views
SQL Server 2019 New Features
4.7 (93.75%) 16 votes

SQL Server 2019

Microsoft’s leading database is an essential tool, with in-cloud and on-premises versions providing incredible storage and analytic tools. It’s additionally turned into an essential application for data scientists, giving a structure to building and testing machine learning models. There is more in SQL Server, and the new release version can indicate where Microsoft thinks your data needs will go over the next few years.

Like all the previous versions, the Microsoft SQL Server 2019 latest version is also jam-packed with new features and capabilities. It will help organizations evaluate and test relational data with multiple integrations of various software. By creating a simplified view of data, users can have a comprehensive view of information.

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