Blog: April 2013
T-SQL: TOP Values
Excerpt by Don Kiely
A general best practice of data selection queries is that you never want to return more data from the database server than you're going to use.
This course excerpt was originally posted April 29, 2013 from the online courseware SQL Server 2012, Part 8 of 9: T-SQL Select, Where, and Clauses by Don Kiely
How Learning HTML5 Can Help You
By Martin Schaeferle
With the quick rise of HTML5 in the development of modern websites and applications, it's now more important than ever to learn the ins and outs of what's becoming the standard markup language of the World Wide Web.
This blog entry was originally posted April 26, 2013 by Martin Schaeferle
T-SQL: Counting Rows & Column Data
Excerpt by Don Kiely
One of the primary purposes of a relational database is to summarize information. Other than for data entry, you will rarely look at individual orders.
This course excerpt was originally posted April 25, 2013 from the online courseware SQL Server 2012, Part 8 of 9: T-SQL Select, Where, and Clauses by Don Kiely
Need Reasons Why C# is the Best Language for Mobile Apps Development?
By Martin Schaeferle
When it comes to honing your programming and development skills, it is worthwhile to consider the old adage "follow the money."
This blog entry was originally posted April 24, 2013 by Martin Schaeferle
The Sky's the Limit with the T-SQL WHERE Clause
Excerpt by Don Kiely
You will rarely want SQL Server to return every row in a table. The most efficient queries retrieve only the data you will actually use-no more, no less.
This course excerpt was originally posted April 23, 2013 from the online courseware SQL Server 2012, Part 8 of 9: T-SQL Select, Where, and Clauses by Don Kiely
T-SQL: Using the SELECT Statement for Naming Columns
Excerpt by Don Kiely
One of the most versatile statements in all of T-SQL is the SELECT statement. It's guaranteed to become your go-to tool for retrieving data stored in SQL Server.
This course excerpt was originally posted April 18, 2013 from the online courseware SQL Server 2012, Part 8 of 9: T-SQL Select, Where, and Clauses by Don Kiely
T-SQL: The WAITFOR Statement
Excerpt by Don Kiely
Syntax that controls the flow of statement execution is an essential feature of any procedural programming language.
This course excerpt was originally posted April 15, 2013 from the online courseware SQL Server 2012, Part 7 of 9: Introduction to T-SQL by Don Kiely
T-SQL: DATEADD and DATEDIFF Functions
Excerpt by Don Kiely
Date and time functions perform operations on date and time values to return a string, numeric, or date/time value.
This course excerpt was originally posted April 11, 2013 from the online courseware SQL Server 2012, Part 7 of 9: Introduction to T-SQL by Don Kiely
T-SQL: PATINDEX Function
Excerpt by Don Kiely
In a previous article we discussed the REPLACE and STUFF functions. This article takes a look at PATINDEX, which supports wildcard characters and other regular-expression-like features for a pattern search.
This course excerpt was originally posted April 09, 2013 from the online courseware SQL Server 2012, Part 7 of 9: Introduction to T-SQL by Don Kiely
The Decline of the IT Generalist
By Martin Schaeferle
Back in the good old days - say, 20 years ago - many small companies had what was considered an "IT generalist." They pretty much did everything.
This blog entry was originally posted April 08, 2013 by Martin Schaeferle
T-SQL: REPLACE and STUFF Function
Excerpt by Don Kiely
All programming languages include functions for manipulating strings. This article shows how to use REPLACE and STUFF, some of the most common ones in Transact-SQL.
This course excerpt was originally posted April 05, 2013 from the online courseware SQL Server 2012, Part 7 of 9: Introduction to T-SQL by Don Kiely
The Benefits to Learning JavaScript
By Martin Schaeferle
JavaScript is an essential language to have under your belt. Its "write once and run anywhere" mechanics allow users with different programming systems to easily run this language.
This blog entry was originally posted April 04, 2013 by Martin Schaeferle
Why You Should Learn To Use C#
By Martin Schaeferle
C++ is one of the most popular programming languages and is used on a wide-ranging variety of operating system platforms.
This blog entry was originally posted April 03, 2013 by Martin Schaeferle
T-SQL: COALESCE Function
Excerpt by Don Kiely
Working with null values is a common task when you allow columns to contain nulls. For example, by default, nulls in aggregates are ignored, but this may not always be the behavior you want.
This course excerpt was originally posted April 02, 2013 from the online courseware SQL Server 2012, Part 7 of 9: Introduction to T-SQL by Don Kiely