Resolving “The certificate chain was issued by an authority that is not trusted” Error.

The error message you’re seeing indicates a problem with the SSL/TLS certificate used by the SQL Server. This typically happens when the server uses a self-signed certificate or a certificate…

Read more

Singular vs. Plural Table Names in SQL Server: Best Practices.

A table naming convention in databases can use singular or plural names, each with pros and cons. Consistency and clarity are crucial.

Read more

Searching for a Specific Table Column Across All Databases in SQL Server

To find tables with a specific column in a SQL Server database, use INFORMATION_SCHEMA.COLUMNS. For all databases, use a cursor to search and display results.

Read more

Using CASE Statements for Conditional Logic in SQL Server like IF THEN

In SQL Server, the CASE statement allows IF…THEN logic in SELECT statements, evaluating conditions and returning result expressions. Example provided.

Read more

Inserting Stored Procedure Results into Temporary Tables in SQL Server

You can insert stored procedure results into a temporary table in SQL Server using INSERT INTO … EXEC, OPENROWSET, and handle multiple result sets.

Read more

Understanding LEFT JOIN vs. LEFT OUTER JOIN in SQL Server

In SQL Server, LEFT JOIN and LEFT OUTER JOIN are functionally identical, both used to return all records from the left table and matching ones from the right table. The OUTER is optional, providing clarity in code.

Read more

Checking for the Existence of a Column in a SQL Server Table

You can check if a column exists in a SQL Server table using the INFORMATION_SCHEMA.COLUMNS system view, through a simple SQL query.

Read more

Concatenating Row Values into a Single String in SQL Server

To concatenate text from multiple rows into a single string in SQL Server, you can use the STRING_AGG function for SQL Server 2017 and later. This simplifies the process by allowing you to specify the delimiter and directly concatenate the values. For older versions, use the FOR XML PATH method, which involves XML functions and is more verbose. Both methods achieve the same result of concatenating values from multiple rows.

Read more

Adding a Column with Default Value to an Existing Table in SQL Server

In SQL Server, use the ALTER TABLE statement with the ADD clause to add a column with a default value to an existing table. The syntax is: ALTER TABLE TableName ADD ColumnName DataType DEFAULT DefaultValue. For example, to add IsActive column to Employees table with default value 1: ALTER TABLE Employees ADD IsActive BIT DEFAULT 1.

Read more

Updating SQL Server Tables Using SELECT Statements: Techniques and Examples

To perform an UPDATE from a SELECT in SQL Server, you can use a subquery or a common table expression (CTE) to select the data for the update. For simple updates, use a subquery with INNER JOIN. For more complex scenarios, use a CTE with aggregate functions. You can also capture updated values using the OUTPUT clause. Always test on non-production data first.

Read more