Explores techniques for maximizing SQL Server bulk insert performance using SqlBulkCopy with parallel processing and the Task Parallel Library.
Explains the GROUPING SETS operator in SQL Server for flexible data aggregation, comparing it to UNION ALL and WITH CUBE approaches.
A SQL Server/.NET developer reflects on their first year of blogging, top technical posts, and community event participation in 2010.
Announcement and details for SQLBits 8, a SQL Server conference in Brighton in April 2011.
Announcement for the January 2011 SQL Server Southampton UserGroup meeting, featuring a talk on SQL Server architecture and a networking supper.
A summary of the first SQL Server Southampton UserGroup meeting, covering sessions on SQL CLR and community discussions.
Announcement that session videos from the SQLBits 6 conference are now available for viewing online.
A review of the SSMS Tools Pack, a free productivity add-in for SQL Server Management Studio, highlighting its key features like snippets and connection coloring.
Blogger returns from paternity leave and discusses interest in forming a new local SQL Server User Group in Hampshire, UK.
Explains how to pass a TABLE variable into a dynamic SQL statement in SQL Server, including code examples.
A developer reflects on learning new tech like NoSQL databases, daily stand-ups, and contributing to communities to advance their career.
Explains using SET NOEXEC to validate SQL query syntax programmatically, noting a bug in SQL Server 2008 regarding object name validation.
A detailed review of the SQL Server MasterClass 2010 event, covering sessions on DevOps, myth-busting, recovery, and GUID performance.
Explains how SQL Server's XML datatype does not preserve CDATA sections, converting them to escaped text instead.
A personal recap of attending SQLBits VI, covering sessions on SQL Server performance tuning, parallel query execution, and the query optimizer.
A developer explains a case-sensitive ColumnMappings error in SqlBulkCopy and how to resolve it.
Explains why SQL CAST to VARCHAR without specifying a length can cause errors or truncation, and advises always defining the size.
Explores the evolving role of the 'DevBA'—a database developer who incorporates DBA skills like performance tuning and using DMVs to build better systems.
Explains how to implement a queue processing system in SQL Server using table hints like UPDLOCK and READPAST to ensure reliable, concurrent processing.
A technical guide on safely converting a SQL Server primary key index from nonclustered to clustered (or vice versa) using a temporary unique constraint.
