We’ve discussed earlier on the effect of using SQL wildcards, such as ‘%[a-z]%’ with different collation orders, particularly case sensitive ones. Here’s another take on collations, and how different collation orders can sort text differently.
cte
Ben-Gan on virtual auxiliary table of numbers
Check out this interesting article from SQL Server superstar
Using MERGE to insert, delete and update all-in-one
As of SQL Server 2008, there’s a new powerful consolidation statement in the DML toolbox: MERGE. Using MERGE, you can perform so-called “upserts”, i.e. one statement that performs an insert, delete and/or update in a single statement. And, more importantly, with just a single join.
Recursive common table expressions
Remember all the times you’ve written long loop statements? Often, a recursive common table expression can be a much better solution, not to mention a lot more pleasing to the eye. The recursive CTE builds on the same basic framework as a regular CTE, except it consists of two parts: the anchor and the recursion.
A short tutorial on common table expressions (CTE)
What’s a common table expression?
Common table expressions are a great way to clean up your code and make it more readable. A CTE resembles a subquery, but unlike subqueries, you can re-use the same data set over and over again in your code. Sometimes, you’ll even find that the query optimizer does a better job when you use a common table expression, resulting in a faster-running, more efficient query.
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