Category: Syntax

Bert Wagner shows that you can only insert with IDENTITY_INSERT = ON for one table at a time:

Ok, simple enough to fix: we just need to do what the error message says and SET IDENTITY_INSERT ON for both tables:

SET IDENTITY_INSERT dbo.User_DEV ON; SET IDENTITY_INSERT dbo.StupidQuestions_DEV ON;

And… it still didn’t work:

IDENTITY_INSERT is already ON for table 'IdentityTest.dbo.User_DEV'. Cannot perform SET operation for table 'dbo.StupidQuestions_DEV'.

Click through for the ramifications and your alternative.

Daniel Hutmacher points out a side effect of using CAST() and CONVERT():

Suppose we want to set up a view in the new solution that mirrors the names and definitions of the old table, so the legacy integration can use that view going forward:

CREATE OR ALTER VIEW new.the_table_like_before
AS
SELECT CAST(id AS varchar(32)) AS id,
CAST([row] AS int) AS [row],
CAST(date_loaded AS datetime) AS dt
FROM new.the_table;

Now, if you check out the resulting datatypes of the view, you’ll notice that all the columns are marked nullable, even though they’re all based on non-nullable columns, so the values in the view could never be null.

Read on for a couple possible solutions.

Bert Wagner explains the CHOOSE() function:

While I know I don’t utilize most of the features available in SQL Server, I like to think I’m at least aware that those features exist.

This week I found a blind-spot in my assumption however. Even though it shipped in SQL Server 2012, the SQL Server CHOOSE function is a feature that I think I’m seeing for the first time this past week.

CHOOSE() and IIF() were functions ported over to make it easier for Access and Excel users to write code. I tend to avoid them because there are typically better idiomatic constructs (like CASE) in SQL Server.

Jack Vamvas shows how you can delete data from a remote server using OPENQUERY:

How can I DELETE using OPENQUERY?   Normally for a SELECT from OPENQUERY , I’ll do something like :

SELECT col1 ,col2  FROM OPENQUERY (MY_LINKED_SERVER,'SELECT col1,col2  FROM MY_LINKED_TABLE')

Can a similar method be used but for DELETE?

Click through for the answer.

Ed Elliott takes us through problems with the PIVOT statement:

If you have a PIVOT query and it isn’t returning the data you expect, what can you do to troubleshoot it? The thing to do is to break it down into the constituent parts. First, lets take a look at a query and see what we can do to help.

Click through for potential problems and their solutions.

Max Vernon takes us through the .modify function:

Determining the property syntax when modifying XML values in SQL Server can be time consuming if you don’t work with XML regularly. SQL Server includes a very flexible XML subsystem, called XML_DML, or XML Data Manipulation Language. XML_DML can be used to easily and effectively update XML values in an xml-typed column or variable. This question on dba.stackexchange.comasked about using the .modify function to change the value of an element, which in turn prompted this post.

Read on for a number of examples.

Solomon Rutzky dives into how big a table value constructor can be in terms of rows:

On 2019-05-08, a helpful individual, Michael B, commented on my answer saying that the 1000-row limit only existed when using a TVC as the VALUES clause of an INSERT statement. And, that there was no limit when using a TVC as a derived table.

Could this be true?

Solomon finds out. Click through and so can you.