SQL Server

Administering Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Databases: Clustering and AlwaysOn

• Jul 15, 2012
• In this chapter from Training Kit (Exam 70-462): Administering Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Databases, you learn about how to deploy both failover clustering and AlwaysOn Availability Groups.

Aggregating and Pivoting Data in Microsoft SQL Server 2008 T-SQL

• Mar 25, 2009
• This chapter from Inside Microsoft SQL Server 2008 T-SQL Querying covers various data-aggregation techniques, including using the OVER clause with aggregate functions, tiebreakers, running aggregates, pivoting, unpivoting, custom aggregations, histograms, grouping factors, and grouping sets.

Creating Your First Table in Microsoft SQL Server

• Feb 15, 2013
• In this chapter from Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Step by Step, you will first learn the importance of implementing and enforcing a naming standard. From there, you will be introduced to the various data types that are supported by SQL Server. Then you will create your first table using Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) and Transact-SQL (T-SQL). Finally, you will use the same methods to add constraints and keys to your tables.

Data Warehousing in Microsoft SQL Server 2008

• Oct 29, 2008
• This chapter from Programming Microsoft SQL Server 2008 explains what data warehousing is and why you should care about it, and then shows how to take advantage of specific Microsoft SQL Server 2008 data warehousing features.

DML and DDL Triggers in in Microsoft SQL Server 2008

• Nov 12, 2008
• Learn how to create DML triggers that execute when you add, modify, or remove rows in a table, in this lesson from Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Step by Step. You will also learn how to create DDL triggers that execute when DDL commands are executed or users log in to an instance.

Extracting and Loading Data in Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Integration Services

• Jun 20, 2007
• Learn how to set up a new Microsoft SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) project, add a data flow task to extract data from a source, and load the results into a destination in this chapter from Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Integration Services Step by Step.

Foundations of Querying Microsoft SQL Server 2012

• Dec 15, 2012
• Transact-SQL (T-SQL) is the main language used to manage and manipulate data in Microsoft SQL Server. This chapter lays the foundations for querying data by using T-SQL. The chapter describes the roots of this language, terminology, and the mindset you need to adopt when writing T-SQL code. It then moves on to describe one of the most important concepts you need to know about the language—logical query processing.

Implementing a Data Warehouse with Microsoft SQL Server 2012: Dynamic Packages

• Dec 15, 2012
• When you are developing Microsoft SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) packages, it is a good practice to make each task or transformation as dynamic as possible. To do this, you can use the new features in SQL Server 2012, such as parameters and project-level connection managers, or you can use the package configurations that were first made available in the package deployment model in earlier versions of SQL Server. This chapter discusses both possibilities.

Implementing Policy-Based Management in Microsoft SQL Server

• Feb 15, 2012
• Policy-Based Management is an extensible and scalable configuration framework that you can use to manage servers, databases, and other objects in your data environments. As an administrator, you need to be very familiar with how Policy-Based Management technology works, and that’s exactly what this chapter is about.

Introducing SQL Server Data Tools

• Jul 15, 2012
• In this chapter from Programming Microsoft SQL Server 2012, you’ll learn how to use SSDT inside Visual Studio to significantly enhance your productivity as a SQL Server developer. It begins with an overview of key SSDT concepts and features, and then goes through demonstrations of various connected and disconnected scenarios.

Managing Partitions and Database Processing in Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Analysis Services

• Apr 15, 2009
• This chapter from Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Analysis Services Step by Step explains how Analysis Services physically processes and stores data. The explanations are simplified, but they encompass some of the most complex topics in this book. If nothing else, this chapter can give you an appreciation for the sophistication and elegance of the Analysis Services server design.

Managing Your SQL Servers

• Feb 15, 2012
• In this chapter from Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Pocket Consultant, you will learn how to use SQL Server Management Studio.

Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Internals: Transactions and Concurrency

• Mar 11, 2009
• In general, database systems can take two approaches to managing concurrent data access: optimistic or pessimistic. Learn the basic differences between the two models, the five possible isolation levels in SQL Server 2008, and the internals of how SQL Server controls concurrent access using each model. Also learn how to control the isolation level, and understand the metadata that shows you what SQL Server is doing, in this chapter from Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Internals.

Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Reporting Services: Deploying Reports to a Server

• Feb 25, 2009
• This chapter from Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Reporting Services Step by Step shows you how to deploy reports to the report server, organize content on the report server by using folders, create a linked report on a native-mode report server, override report parameter settings, manage authentication in data sources, control report execution, and create and store report snapshots in history.

Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Analysis Services: DAX Basics

• Jul 15, 2012
• In this chapter from Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Analysis Services: The BISM Tabular Model, learn about the syntax of DAX, its data types, and the available operators and functions.

Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Internals: Special Storage

• Nov 15, 2013
• This chapter from Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Internals looks at how SQL Server stores data that doesn’t use the typical FixedVar record format and data that doesn’t fit into the usual 8 KB data page.

Overview of Microsoft SQL Server 2012

• Feb 15, 2013
• In this chapter from Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Step by Step, you will examine the components and features of Microsoft SQL Server 2012 and determine how they fit into your installation.

Planning Your Report Design in Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Reporting Services

• Apr 15, 2013
• The purpose of this chapter from Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Reporting Services is to help you think about how to prepare for the report development process. Knowing who will view reports and how they want or need to interact with reports has an impact on how you should design those reports.

Querying Full-Text Data in Microsoft SQL Server 2012

• Dec 15, 2012
• Microsoft SQL Server 2012 enhances the full-text search support that was substantially available in previous editions. This chapter explains how to use full-text search and even semantic search inside a SQL Server database.

Single-Table Queries in Microsoft SQL Server 2012

• Jul 15, 2012
• This chapter from Microsoft SQL Server 2012 T-SQL Fundamentals introduces you to the SELECT statement, logical query processing, and various other aspects of single-table queries.