A free tool to reduce coding for developers who like to surface T-SQL database recordsets in a simple collection of customized POCO objects. Every so often, I find myself wishing that I had a utility ...

A common SQL habit is to use SELECT * on a query, because it’s tedious to list all the columns you need. Plus, sometimes those columns may change over time, so why not just do things the easy way? But ...

Determine when to use stored procedures vs. SQL in the code Your email has been sent Tony Patton discusses the merits of stored procedures versus placing SQL directly in the code. Find out which one ...

I recently wrote a .NET web application for work. I always make a data access class with methods for getting data, but I usually just point the methods to stored procedures. This time, I decided to ...

Part of the problem is that there is no magic bullet, and for almost every best practice, I can show you at least one exception. Typically, a developer finds his or her own favorite methods — though ...

Microsoft has just added support for query hints to Azure SQL Database, giving database administrators a powerful tool to manage the performance of ISV application code. Here's how it works. Database ...

So much of modern programming is about string manipulation. Whether it’s parsing XML content, building HTML for the browser or trying to understand what the user just typed into that text entry field, ...

SQL is a convenient way to manage and query your data, but badly written queries can tie up your database. Here are seven common SQL traps and how to avoid them. Database developers have it tough.