When you use sql_variant datatype in sql server 2000 , and add data to a table using union all, it will work though datatype of data differs from each other declare @test table ( variant_column sql_variant ) insert into @test select 'test' union...(read more)
I'm doing some work with Marco Russo and Alberto Ferrari at the moment, and for the benefit of any Italian (or Italian-speaking) readers of this blog I thought I'd mention that they are involved in organising a SQL Server conference near Milan. You can find out more and register here:
http://www.s...Full Article.
On Monday Microsoft announced "SQL Server Fast Track", a set of reference architectures for data warehousing with SQL Server. This has all been blogged very well by others, so if you're interested in finding out more I suggest you read Peter Koller:
htt...Full Article.
How do I use CodePlex to download samples and sample databases?
- To download the entire set of SQL Server product samples, click on the releases tab for this portal project, then click on the appropriate installer for your computer.
- To focus on samples for a particular technology on the appropriate Product or Community link in the sample table on the home portal page. After clicking on that link you can:
- Down...Full Article.
I do not understand where the AdventureWorks2008 database has gone, last time when i installed the codeplex adventureworks database, a database named "AdventureWorks2008" was made. When i reinstalled the sample databases, it is gone! I'm reading a sql tutorial that uses the AdventureWorks2008 database extensively, so please anybody tell me where to get it? Full text search and filestream are enabled....Full Article.
Sometimes when you import data from other system, you may need to clean the data by removing unwanted data. Consider you import data where you want to keep only those which are purely alphanumerals. Here is a way to find out declare @table table ( data...(read more)
an approach to implement drilldown on charts with Reporting Services when Analysis Services is used as the data source, and it got me thinking about ways to implement drilldown in Reporting Services in general. There are two standard methods used to do this that are widely known about:
- The first can be described as "fetc...Full Article.
Registration for SQLBits IV (the UK's - and perhaps the world's - largest free SQL Server tech conference), which will be taking place on March 28th in Manchester is now open:
http://www.sqlbits.com/
We've got four tracks of top-notch presentations including some very strong BI sessions. I'll be speaking, and among other speakers we've got SSIS-superstar Jamie 'twoFull Article.
Last November, at the PASS Summit in Seattle, I presented a session on building a monitoring solution for Analysis Services, Integration Services and Reporting Services which seemed to go down pretty well. I was lucky in that the SQLCat team presented a very similar session, although just covering Analysis Services, the next day - so at least I got to present first! Anyway, I see that they've just got round to publishing their material on this subject here:
http://www.sqlbits.com/information/PublicSessions.aspx
and choose the sessions you'd like to see.
Boyan Penev recently blogged about the virtues of setting default parameters and he's right: it's a good idea to set parameter defaults. However I was with a customer yesterday who were waiting for a really long time to even open the Query Parameters dialog in the SSRS query designer. I was a bit curious as to why this was, so I ran a Profiler trace. What I found was then when I opened t...Full Article.
If you build a dimension directly off a fact table (a fact dimension), when you add it to your cube and set the relationship between that dimension and the fact table you have a choice about the type of relationship you can use: you can use either a Fact relationship type or a Regular relationship type. I've always used Fact relationships but never known whether there was anything special about them - there was in some of the early Yukon betas but the functionality got dropped before RTM.