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[Focus]

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Exploring Yukon Territory
With the Yukon release of SQL Server now in private beta, SQL Server Magazine talked with Microsoft’s Eric Brown about the release’s long-awaited development and administration enhancements and how you can start preparing for the changes ahead.
 — Various Authors


Ready or Not, Here Comes the CLR
As a major new release of SQL Server, Yukon presents an opportunity for developers and DBAs to use their existing skills while taking advantage of powerful new .NET capabilities such as CLR-based code, rich UDF data types, and security enhancements.
 — Randy Holloway , et al.


What's New in Yukon T-SQL
You've heard a lot about the CLR, which lets you use .NET languages to write database code. But take a peek at what's new in T-SQL! Improved trigger functionality, better error handling, and separate date and time data types are only the beginning.
 — Itzik Ben-Gan

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[SQL Server Savvy]

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Table Variables vs. Temporary Tables
There can be a big performance difference between using table variables and temporary tables. In most cases, temporary tables are faster than table variables.
 — Brian Moran


Use CREATE INDEX's DROP_EXISTING Clause When Recreating a Clustered Index
Using the DROP_EXISTING clause can be a huge time-saver when you need to change the clustered index on a table that also has nonclustered indexes.
 — Brian Moran

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[Editorial]

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King of the Hill
Microsoft's powerful performance in the nonclustered TPC-C results has shattered the glass ceiling barring the database server's way to enterprise class deployment.
 — Michael Otey

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[SQL Seven]

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Top Yukon Features
Microsoft has had plenty of time to add many new features to SQL Server’s next release, code-named Yukon. Here are seven important features that they have announced for Yukon.
 — Michael Otey

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[Inside SQL Server]

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Inside Optimizer Enhancements
New query-processing techniques make the optimizer's job more complex and yours simpler.
 — Kalen Delaney

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[Mastering Analysis]

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A Deeper Look at Drillthrough
Microsoft provides an example of how to create drillthrough support for Excel’s PivotTable components, but the example can be hard to follow. Here’s an explanation to help you use the example better.
 — Russ Whitney

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[Solutions by Design]

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The Case of the Overlapping Subtype
A database designer has a problem with her supertype-subtype database design, and the simple answers she finds don’t work for her. Find out how she learns that even less-than-ideal solutions can work in the right circumstances.
 — Michelle A. Poolet

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[Exploring XML]

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Using XML Bulk Load with Identity Columns
Bulk loading data into tables that use identity columns as primary keys used to require some sticky programming to properly set the value of foreign keys. See how XML Bulk Load has been enhanced in SQLXML 3.0 SP2 to automatically set foreign key values.
 — Rich Rollman

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[Letters]

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Letters, November 2003
Readers agree with Michael Otey's assessment of what needs to happen to boost SQL Server's reliability reputation. Also, note the correction of a trace flag number from "Sysprocesses in SP3."
 — Various Authors

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[New Products]

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