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[Focus]

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Clustering SQL Server
Many DBAs and systems administrators are intimidated by the idea of SQL Server clustering. But by breaking the process into these six manageable steps, you can set up a clustered environment to provide high availability for SQL Server.
 — Brian Knight


High Availability Solutions
SQL Server 2000 provides three technologies that you can use to build highly available systems. But availability is more than technology. This article can help you put all the pieces together.
 — Michael Hotek

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[Features]

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A BLOB of a Different Color
The way you use binary large objects (BLOBs) in ADO.NET is completely different from the way you use BLOBs in ADO. These examples will help you see how to incorporate BLOB data into your ADO.NET applications.
 — Michael Otey

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[SQL Server Savvy]

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Deleting Redundant Statistics
SQL Server never drops an auto-created statistic, even when you create a real index on the column. Deleting unnecessary auto-created statistics is up to you.
 — Brian Moran


Old Join Syntax vs. New
SQL Server lets you write an outer join two different ways. You can use the old syntax, which is proprietary to SQL Server, or you can use the new ANSI-compliant syntax for expressing the join.
 — Brian Moran


SQL Server Licensing for DTS
You don't need a SQL Server license to run a DTS package and you can legally distribute some core DTS files.
 — Brian Moran

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[Editorial]

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The Great Delay
Although delaying Yukon has financial implications and leaves SQL Server behind in the release race, Michael Otey applauds Microsoft for taking its time.
 — Michael Otey

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[SQL Seven]

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XML Document Types
XML has become a vital interoperability tool and a core component of many applications. Here are seven XML document types that are most often used in SQL Server database application development.
 — Michael Otey

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[Inside SQL Server]

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Inside Optimization
The query optimizer is a complex but vital part of SQL Server. Learn how the optimizer has evolved over the years in this first article in a series about the optimizer.
 — Kalen Delaney

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[Mastering Analysis]

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Dimension Writeback
Dimension writeback is an essential function of budgeting and planning applications. You can create your own cube to learn how dimension writeback works in SQL Server 2000 Enterprise and Developer editions.
 — Russ Whitney

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[T-SQL Black Belt]

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Simply Keeping Time
Two readers submit solutions to problems of how to track dates and times. Using auxiliary tables is the key.
 — Itzik Ben-Gan

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[Exploring XML]

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Optimizing XPath Queries
If you have an XML Schema, XML Views are the easiest way to obtain XML results from SQL Server. Find out how you can optimize your XPath queries by translating them into FOR XML EXPLICIT queries that you can include in stored procedures.
 — Rich Rollman

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[Letters]

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Letters, October 2003
Readers share more mixed-mode authentication tips and ask about using ORDER BY in an assignment SELECT, which might not always work as expected.
 — Various Authors

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[New Products]

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New Products, October 2003
Check out the latest SQL Server-related new and improved products.
 — Carolyn Mader