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[Focus]

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Masters of Multitasking
The typical SQL Server pro, according to SQL Server Magazine's 2004 salary and industry survey, is a white male in the 30- to 39-year-old age range working as a DBA on the East Coast. See how you compare to this profile of survey respondents.
 — Jessica Heckathorn


SQL Server Pros: Surviving or Thriving?
SQL Server pros love their work--but their jobs can be tough to take. Survey respondents speak out about what makes them happy in their careers and the challenges they face.
 — Dawn Cyr


Who Makes What?
Find out how your pay stacks up against your peers', where the best-paying jobs are--and who has them.
 — Suzanne J. Cone

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[SQL Server Savvy]

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Beware: Using sp_configure to change a Value Involves DBCC FREEPROCCACHE
When you call sp_configure to set a value for any option, SQL Server issues a DBCC FREEPROCCACHE command, which invalidates all stored procedure plans currently cached and requires recompilation of new plans.
 — Brian Moran


Choosing a Secure Authentication System
Are you deciding between SQL Server Authentication and Windows Authentication? Find out which method provides better security.
 — Brian Moran


Running Profiler on a Busy Server
SQL Server Profiler is your most important tool in your SQL Server tuning arsenal. But like any powerful tool, Profiler can cause problems.
 — Brian Moran


Varying Event Durations Can Point to Compilation Problems
Generally speaking, the difference between a SQL:BatchCompleted event's duration time and a SQL:StmtCompleted event's duration time is how long each event takes to parse and compile a query.
 — Brian Moran

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[Editorial]

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The 64-Bit Tidal Wave
With the advent of 32-bit-compatible x64 chips, the 64-bit computing wave is about to break. If you’re considering a SQL Server system upgrade in the next year, one of these 64-bit platforms should be on your short list.
 — Michael Otey

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[Inside SQL Server]

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Digging Up the Dirt on Indexes
Use these tools to find everything you ever wanted to know about your indexes--and then some.
 — Kalen Delaney

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[Solutions by Design]

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The Search Path Less Traveled
Keyword arrays are common but hurt database performance by forcing table scans. Here's how arrays hurt and how you can help.
 — Michelle A. Poolet

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[T-SQL Black Belt]

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Implementing Paging
When the query results are too big for one screen, you need to set up your application for paging. Take a look at these two solutions to fit any paging needs.
 — Itzik Ben-Gan

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[New Products]

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New Products, December 2004
Check out the latest SQL Server-related products.
 — Dawn Cyr

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[SELECT TOP(X)]

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Techniques from Code Complete, Second Edition
Here are five techniques for writing better code from Steve McConnell’s new book, Code Complete, Second Edition (Microsoft Press, 2004).
 — Michael Otey

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[Ask Microsoft]

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New Locking Functionality: Snapshot Concurrency Coming in SQL Server 2005
Microsoft's Richard Waymire reports that a new Yukon feature will let users read data that another user is updating.
 — Microsoft's SQL Server Development Team


Returning Only the Numeric Part of a String
Microsoft's Patrick Conlan explains techniques for stripping letters out of a string.
 — Microsoft's SQL Server Development Team