2778A ENU Companion

O F F I C I A L M I CRO S O F T L EA RN I N G PRO DU C T
2778A
Writing Queries Using Microsoft SQL Server
2008 Transact-SQL
Companion Content
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Product Number: 2778A

Released: 11/2008
Getting Started with Databases and Transact-SQL in SQL Server 2008 1-1
Module 1
Getting Started with Databases and Transact-SQL in SQL
Server 2008
Contents:
Lesson 1: Overview of SQL Server 2008 2
Lesson 2: Overview of SQL Server Databases 5
Lesson 3: Overview and Syntax Elements of T-SQL 7
Lesson 4: Working with T-SQL Scripts 9
Lesson 5: Using T-SQL Querying Tools 11
Module Reviews and Takeaways 13
Lab Review Questions and Answers 15
1-2 Writing Queries Using Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Transact-SQL
Lesson 1
Overview of SQL Server 2008
Contents:
Question and Answers 3
Additional Reading 4
Question and Answers

Overview of Client/Server Architecture
Question: What types of Client/Server architecture systems do you use at your current organization?
Answer: Answers will vary, but will include multitier web applications and two-tier client line of
business applications.
Additional Reading
Overview of Client/Server Architecture
Chapter 7 - Client/Server Architecture
File-Server vs. Client/Server
SQL Server Components

Editions and Components of SQL Server 2008
Installing SQL Server 2005
SQL Server Management Tools

SQL Server Database Engine Components

SQL Server Overview
Components of the SQL Server Database Engine
Considerations for Installing the SQL Server Database Engine

Lesson 2
Overview of SQL Server Databases
Contents:
Additional Reading
Overview of Relational Databases
Databases
Relational Database Components
Database Engine Concepts
Relational Databases
What is Normalization?
Normalization
SQL Database Normalization Rules
The Normalization Process

Normalization
SQL Server Database Objects

Identifiers
Using Extended Properties on Database Objects
Deprecated Database Engine Features in SQL Server 2008
Overview of Data Types

Data Types (Transact-SQL)
Lesson 3
Overview and Syntax Elements of T-SQL
Contents:
Additional Reading
A History and Definition of ANSI SQL and T-SQL
Using Common Table Expressions
Categories of SQL Statements

GRANT (Transact-SQL)
Introduction to Basic T-SQL Syntax

Query Fundamentals
Transact-SQL Syntax Conventions (Transact-SQL)
Types of T-SQL Operators

Transact-SQL Reference (Transact-SQL)
What are T-SQL Functions?

Functions (Transact-SQL)
What are T-SQL Variables?

Transact-SQL Variables
What are T-SQL Expressions?

Expressions (Transact-SQL)
Control-of-flow Statements
Control-of-Flow
Conditional Statement Syntax
GOTO (Transact-SQL)
Lesson 4
Working with T-SQL Scripts
Contents:
Additional Reading
What are Batch Directives?
ELSE (IF...ELSE)
Structured Exception Handling

TRY...CATCH (Transact-SQL)
RAISERROR (Transact-SQL)
Commenting T-SQL Code

/*...*/ (Comment) (Transact-SQL)
-- (Comment) (Transact-SQL)
Using Comments
Lesson 5
Using T-SQL Querying Tools
Contents:
Additional Reading
Tools for Querying SQL Server 2008 Databases
Query Tools
bcp Utility
sqlcmd Utility
An Introduction to SQL Server Management Studio

Features in SQL Server Management Studio
What is a SQL Server Solution?

Developing Solutions and Projects in SQL Server Management Studio
Introduction to Solutions, Projects, and Items
Introducing SQL Server Management Studio
Creating SQL Server Solutions

How to: Create New Solutions
Using Solution Explorer
Executing Queries in SQL Server Management Studio

Query Tools
Generating Reports in Microsoft Office Excel

Connect to (import) SQL Server data
Use Microsoft Query to retrieve external data
Module Reviews and Takeaways

Review questions
Question: What examples of a third tier client server architecture have you seen at work?
Answer: An example of third tier client/server architecture would be a client that connects to a web
server that connects to SQL Server 2008 for access to the data.
Question: Which server management tool do we use to create optimal sets of indexes and partitions?
Answer: Database Engine Tuning Advisor helps create optimal sets of indexes, indexed views, and
partitions.
Question: How would you quickly create graphs and reports from SQL data?
Answer: Connect to the SQL database from an Excel file.
Question: What are the two main parts of the relational database server?
Answer: The relational database server of SQL Server has two main parts: the relational engine and
the storage engine.
Best Practices related to a particular technology area in this module

Supplement or modify the following best practices for your own work situations:
Formatting
o Capitalize reserve words.
o Code should be indented properly.
Naming Objects
o Objects should be placed in square brackets.
[Customers]
o Retain the case of the table names as in the database.
[OrderDetails]
o Include schema in object names.
Sales.Customers
Use ANSI SQL
Comment Code
Tools
Tool Use for Where to find it
Microsoft SQL Server Managing SQL server Start | All Programs | Microsoft SQL Server 2008
Management Studio databases and tables.
SQL Server Business Managing SQL server Start | All Programs | Microsoft SQL Server 2008
Intelligence Development applications.
Studio
Lab Review Questions and Answers

Question: Why would we execute a T-SQL command using SQLCMD?
Answer: SQLCMD can be launched from the command line, in a script or through an application,
allowing a SQL script to be launched programmatically or without the Management Studio.
Question: What are the four main tools for querying SQL Server 2008 databases?
Answer: SQL Server Management Studio, Microsoft Office Excel, and SQLCMD. PowerShell can also
query SQL Server 2008 databases, but we did not use it in the lab.
Question: How is Excel useful when querying SQL Server 2008 databases?
Answer: Excel can collect large amounts of data and perform visualization, reporting, and analysis on
the desktop.
Querying and Filtering Data 2-1
Module 2
Querying and Filtering Data
Contents:
Lesson 1: Using the SELECT Statement 2
Lesson 2: Filtering Data 6
Lesson 3: Working with NULL Values 10
Lesson 4: Formatting Result Sets 14
Lesson 5: Performance Considerations for Writing Queries 18
Lesson 1
Using the SELECT Statement
Contents:
Detailed Demo Steps 4

Demonstration: Retrieve Data by Using the SELECT Statement
Question: Considering the two ways of requesting columns from a table, which tables in the
databases you work with are probably fine for using the generic * instead of listing each column?
Answer:
Tables with few columns.

For one time query of tables with many columns to discover any schema changes.
Detailed Demo Steps

Demonstration: Retrieve Data by Using the SELECT Statement
Demonstration steps
Retrieve Data by Using the SELECT Statement

1. Start the NY-SQL-01 virtual machine and login as Administrator with password Pa$$w0rd.
2. Click Start, All Programs, Microsoft SQL Server 2008, SQL Server Management Studio,
Connect.
3. On the File menu, click Open, File and open the file: E:\MOD02\democode\SimpleQueries.sql.
4. In the query window, highlight the code for the first example, and then click Execute. Notice that
all columns are returned in the result set.
5. In the query window, highlight the code for the second example and then click Execute. Notice
that only the columns listed are now returned in the result set.
6. Keep the VM running with SQL Server Management Studio open.
Additional Reading
Elements of the SELECT Statement
Parts of a SELECT Statement
Query Fundamentals
Retrieving Columns in a Table

SELECT Clause (Transact-SQL)
SELECT Examples (Transact-SQL)
Lesson 2
Using Variables
Contents:

Filtering Data by Using String Comparisons
Question: When searching string data within a table which comparison do you think would be used
the most? Why would this be most common?
Answer: LIKE is a very common comparison operator. This is generally because part of a string is
often known with other parts being variable. CONTAINS and FREETEXT are also good options for this
answer. = is typically not common for string comparisons since the data has a high potential of being
variable, particularly in longer string values. For short string values such as codes, = is more common.
Question: In the LIKE statement, where is the appropriate location to place the % sign and why?
Answer: After the first character. This will allow the SQL statement to run using and index for that
column, if one is available. When the % sign is at the beginning of the criteria string, all values in that
column must be compared with the criteria. Indexes are not used.
Filtering Data by Using Logical Operators

Question: In a very large table why would do you think the NOT operator might be the least efficient
one to use?
Answer: The NOT operator must first determine if the comparison is TRUE or FALSE and then
perform additional processing to change the result to the opposite one. On queries with large row
sets this can extra processing can affect performance.
Detailed Demo Steps

Demonstration: Filter Data by Using Different Search Conditions
Demonstration steps
Retrieve Data by Using the SELECT Statement

1. Return to the VM and open the file: E:\MOD02\democode\FilteringQueries.sql.
2. Highlight the code under Example 1 and then click Execute. Notice that the result set now shows
only 7,493 rows.
3. Highlight the code under Example 2 and then click Execute. Notice that only 139 orders were
retrieved in the result set this time.
4. Highlight the code under Example 3 and then click Execute. Notice that the first few rows of data
as well as the number of rows retrieved. (this will be compared with the next statement)
5. Highlight the code under Example 4 and then click Execute. Notice that this statement is
equivalent to the BETWEEN statement previously executed, but uses a different WHERE clause.
Note: Dates are entered as strings with the format of YYYYMMDD.
6. Leave the VM running with SQL Server Management Studio open.

Additional Reading
Retrieving Specific Rows in a Table
Predicate (Transact-SQL)
WHERE (Transact-SQL)
Search Condition (Transact-SQL)
Filtering Data by Using Comparison Operators

Comparison Operators (Transact-SQL)
Comparison Operators
BETWEEN (Transact-SQL)
Filtering Data by Using String Comparisons

FREETEXT (Transact-SQL)
CONTAINS (Transact-SQL)
LIKE (Transact-SQL)
Filtering Data by Using Logical Operators

Logical Operators (Transact-SQL)
Logical Operator Precedence
Operator Precedence
Retrieving a Range of Values

Retrieving a List of Values

IN (Transact-SQL)
Lesson 3
Working with NULL Values
Contents:

Functions to Work with NULL Values
Question: When working with data, which data types would you expect to contain NULL values? How
can you determine exactly which columns in your organization's tables are allowed to have NULL
values?
Answer:
Columns that commonly contain NULL values are those of data types: char, nchar, varchar,
nvarchar, text, ntext. Numeric columns may contain NULL data, but it is not advisable.
The easiest way to check column data types is to check in SQL Server Management Studio. If you
do not have access to this tool then requesting the information from IT is a good idea.
Demonstration: Using Functions to Work with NULL Values

Question: Handling NULL values is a very important part of retrieving accurate data for your
organization. Considering these three functions, what types of queries do you anticipate using each
one for?
Answer:
ISNULL() queries with data that you want to check for NULL values.
NULLIF() queries that you want to offer a more meaningful value in place of the NULL keyword
being displayed in the result.
COALESCE() Queries where NULL values may exist and you wish to substitute one of several
possibilities into a column of the result set.
Detailed Demo Steps

Demonstration steps
Three useful functions for dealing with NULL values in column data.
1. Return to the VM, click NEW Query, and open file E:\MOD02\democode\NULLDemo.sql.
2. Highlight the code for the first demo and click Execute.
3. Explain that the first uses the ISNULL() function to examine the MaxQty column and returns the
value 0.00 if the MaxQty column value is NULL. Point out that the first result set does not use
ISNULL() and displays NULL as the column value. The second result set displays 0.00 in the rows
that previously showed a NULL value. You may need to scroll down to view the second result set.
4. Highlight the code for the second demo and click Execute.
5. In this result set point out that the NULLIF() function assigned a NULL value in the Null if Equal
column for those rows that have the same value in the MakeFlag and FinishedGoodsFlag
columns. It also shows the value of the MakeFlag column if the two columns do not have the
same value.
6. Highlight the code for the third example and click Execute. Note that the COALESCE() function
will look at the value of each argument listed and return the value of the first argument that does
not have a NULL value.
7. Note that the Total Salary column is populated with data based on the following criteria in the
COALESCE() function:
If the hourly_wage column has a value Total Salary has a calculated value based on the
hourly_wage * 40 hours * 52 weeks.
If the salary column is not NULL the value of the salary column is displayed in Total Salary.
If the commission column is not NULL the value displayed in Total Salary is equal to commission *
num_sales.
8. Keep the VM running and SQL Management Studio open.
Additional Reading
Considerations for Working with NULL Values
Null Values
Using Sparse Columns
Functions to Work with NULL Values

Null Values
ISNULL (Transact-SQL)
NULLIF (Transact-SQL)
COALESCE (Transact-SQL)
Lesson 4
Formatting Result Sets
Contents:

Eliminating Duplicate Rows
Question: Knowing that DISTINCT processes only those columns returned in the result set, are there
situations where these results may not reflect an accurate representation of unique data?
Answer: Because DISTINCT only looks at the result set it will only evaluate the rows and columns that
are present. If any of the data would be considered duplicate based on columns that are not in the
select list, these columns will not be taken into consideration.
Using Expressions
Question: The above examples show how expressions can be used. What other ways do think you will
use expressions to create queries?
Answer: They can be used as possible values in comparisons, static values in derived columns, static
values in concatenated columns.
Demonstration: Format Result Sets

Question: Formatting the result sets helps the reader interpret the data. What other reasons are there
for creating result sets with a specific formatting?
Answer:
Hide or display data based on user information for security reasons.
Hide or display data based on parameter values.
Detailed Demo Steps

Demonstration: Demonstration: Format Result Sets
Demonstration steps
1. Return to the VM and click New Query, open E:\MOD02\democode\ResultSetFormatting.sql.
2. Highlight the code for the first example and click Execute. Notice that on the first result set the
original column name is used for the heading label, but on the second result set the more
meaningful string Employee Identification Number that was specified in the second query has
become the column header.
3. Highlight the code for the second example and click Execute. Notice that the first querys select
list has the LastName, FirstName, and MiddleName fields listed separately. This results in all three
columns appearing in the first result set.
By using the concatenation functionality of Transact-SQL you can join the three columns
together into one derived column and insert commas and spaces to put the name into a more
readable format.
4. Highlight the code for the third example and click Execute. Notice that the first query creates a
derived column called NewPrice which is equal to the ListPrice + 10%, and the WHERE clause
requires that the result set only show those items with at lease a 20% margin.
5. If you click in the top result set you can see that this result set has 304 rows (may be different in
each database).
6. In the second result set you have the same columns, but only shows the 98 rows (may vary) with
a SellEndDate that is earlier than todays date.
7. Close SQL Server Management Studio and discard changes.
8. Close the VM and discard changes.
Additional Reading
Sorting Data
ORDER BY Clause (Transact-SQL)
Sorting Rows with ORDER BY
Eliminating Duplicate Rows

Eliminating Duplicates with DISTINCT
Labeling Columns in Result Sets

Using Table Aliases
Assigning Result Set Column Names
Using String Literals

SUBSTRING (Transact-SQL)
+ (String Concatenation) (Transact-SQL)
Using Expressions
Derived Column Transformation
Lesson 5
Performance Considerations for Writing Queries
Contents:
Additional Reading
How SQL Server Processes Transact-SQL Queries
SQL Statement Processing
Query Performance
Query Tuning Recommendations
Tips on Creating More Efficient Queries

Query Processing -- introduction to the blog!
Troubleshooting Queries
Troubleshooting Poor Query Performance: Cardinality Estimation
Pattern Matching in Search Conditions
Analyzing a Query
Solutions for Query Optimization

Checklist for Analyzing Slow-Running Queries

Review questions
Question: When creating a WHERE clause by entering search conditions that include column data,
what do you need to consider to help the query optimizer create the lowest cost execution plan? Why
or how do these make a difference?
Answer: Placement of wildcards after the first character will allow the use of indexes.
Avoid using the asterisk in the SELECT list.
Avoid using NOT in conditions when possible.
Use constants instead of expressions or calculations for comparisons.
Question: NULL values are present in many databases, usually by design. What can you do to
discover where NULL values may be stored? Why is it important to know where NULL values can be
encountered?
Answer: The easiest method is to examine the table schema in SQL Server Management Studio and
note the columns that allow NULL values. Alternatively, you can obtain the schema from IT.
Real-world Issues and Scenarios

Question: The DB Administrator has added a new column to the Person.Person table and you are
asked to include this column in all queries and reports. But when you use the column in an expression
in a search condition, few if any rows are returned. What is a likely cause? What can you do to help
solve the issue?
Answer: The cause is most likely that the columns allow NULL values and have not been populated.
To solve the issue the COALESCE() and ISNULL() functions can be used to replace NULL values in the
query output.
Question: You are asked to quickly create a report on a table with a large number of data rows in it.
When writing the query, what are some things you can do to help the system retrieve the required
rows as quickly as possible?
Answer:
Use indexed columns in the WHERE clause.

Only list the required columns in the SELECT list.
Do not use calculations against column values in the WHERE clause.
Do not use NOT in comparisons.

Question: Using the * to designate all columns in a table for display is useful when you dont know
the table schema. What issues can arise when using the *, and what else can you use instead?
Answer: Using an asterisk returns all columns in the row. Some of the columns may contain large
amounts of data, or even unreadable data, thus cluttering the output. Performance of the query can
also be adversely affected if some of the columns contain large binary data. Instead of using the * you
should list specific column names in the SELECT list.
Question: When a column in your query can contain NULL values you may get unexpected results in
the data set. What are some of the techniques that can be used to ensure that all of the expected
data is listed?
Answer:
NULL values are considered undefined values. This means that any attempt to directly use
columns with NULL values will not return expected results.
o Calculations will return undefined values.
o Rows of data may not be in the data set.
o Concatenated columns will be returned as blank in the data set.
The following functions can be used to accommodate NULL values:
o ISNULL() will replace a NULL value with a given value in the data set.
o COALESCE() allows you to designate a number of values that can be substituted for NULL
values. Each column or value listed is tested for a NULL value and the first one to not have a
NULL value is used in the data set.
o IS NULL is used to test for NULL values in a column in the WHERE clause.
Question: When performing string comparisons on a column you can use LIKE, CONTAINS, and
FREETEXT. What are the differences and when would each be best used?
Answer:
LIKE uses wildcards to search for partial matches in text columns. LIKE is best used when the
strings are relatively short and spelling is the main consideration for the search.
CONTAINS uses a word or list of words to search strings in a column. CONTAINS is best used
for larger columns and when derivatives of the word are also desired such as drive, drove,
driving, and driven.
FREETEXT uses a word or list of words on large text data that has been indexed using Full Text
indexing. FREETEXT also allows you to search for derivatives of the word or words in the list.
Grouping and Summarizing Data 3-1
Module 3
Grouping and Summarizing Data
Contents:
Lesson 1: Summarizing Data by Using Aggregate Functions 2
Lesson 2: Summarizing Grouped Data 6
Lesson 3: Ranking Grouped Data 10
Lesson 4: Creating Crosstab Queries 13
Lesson 1
Summarizing Data by Using Aggregate Functions
Contents:

Using Aggregate Functions With NULL Values
Question: Why is it important to be aware of and handle NULL values in aggregate functions?
Answer: Since most of the aggregate functions ignore NULL values when performing their
calculations, it can introduce errors into your output if the NULL values are handled incorrectly. When
using SUM, the NULL values will be treated as zero and thus should be ok. But if you are using the
AVG or COUNT functions your results will not be correct. Use the featured ISNULL example to
correctly handle these cases.
Implementing Custom Aggregate Functions

Question: Why use a custom aggregation function if you're comfortable with handling the logic in T-
SQL?
Answer: The custom aggregate will execute faster as it is compiled code (T-SQL is interpreted) and
may also simplify queries by making them easier to read and understand, thus easing query
maintenance.
Demonstration: Using Common Aggregate Functions

Question: What would be the best aggregate function to use when counting records in a table?
Answer: The COUNT function.
Question: How can you restrict one of the sample queries in this demo to only account for a certain
range of employees?
Answer: Add a WHERE clause to the query.

Detailed Demo Steps

Demonstration: Using Common Aggregate Functions
Demonstration steps
Create a new query in SQL Server Management Studio. Make sure the current database is set to
AdventureWorks2008
Enter and then run the following query to produce a count of the employees in the system:
o SELECT COUNT(*) FROM HumanResources.Employee;
Enter and then run the following query to calculate the average number of vacation hours each
employee has:
o SELECT AVG(VacationHours) FROM HumanResources.Employee;
Enter and then run the following query to calculate the maximum number of vacation hours held
by an employee:
o SELECT MAX(VacationHours) FROM HumanResources.Employee;
Enter and then run the following query to calculate the total number of vacation hours held by
employees:
o SELECT SUM(VacationHours) FROM HumanResources.Employee;
Additional Reading
Using Aggregate Functions Native to SQL Server
Summarizing Data
Deterministic and Nondeterministic Functions
Aggregate Functions
Using Aggregate Functions With NULL Values

Aggregate Functions (Transact-SQL)
COUNT (Transact-SQL)
CLR Integration, Assemblies

Common Language Runtime (CLR) Integration Programming Concepts
Implementing Custom Aggregate Functions

CREATE AGGREGATE (Transact-SQL)
CLR User-Defined Aggregates
Invoking CLR User-Defined Aggregate Functions
Lesson 2
Summarizing Grouped Data
Contents:

Using the GROUP BY Clause
Question: Why might you want to group results is this absolutely necessary?
Answer: Grouping data, and by extension the GROUP BY clause, is one of the most fundamental
concepts in Transact SQL. It is through this clause that the query processor knows how to process
your aggregation functions on groups of data and not an entire table. Without GROUP BY it would
be impossible to generate summary information on any level other than that of a table level.
Filtering Grouped Data by Using the HAVING Clause

Question: Are HAVING and WHERE essentially the same?
Answer: The HAVING and WHERE clauses are similar but not the same. HAVING behaves like a
WHERE but applies to groups as a whole whereas the WHERE clause applies to individual rows. It is
only when a GROUP BY is not used that HAVING is behaves like a WHERE clause. In this case, since
performance will be identical, you should probably use the language construct that makes it the most
clear what you are doing.
Demonstration: How to Use the ROLLUP and CUBE Operators

Question: What could be some determining factors on whether you chose to use a ROLLUP vs. a
CUBE query?
Answer: A quick factor may be the handling of NULL values as each operator handles them a bit
differently.
Building a Query for Summarizing Grouped Data - COMPUTE

Question: What advantages does using the COMPUTE statement provide?
Answer: There can be several advantages. One clear advantage is summary information at different
levels can be returned in a single call instead of multiple calls.
Detailed Demo Steps

Demonstration: How to Use the ROLLUP and CUBE Operators
Demonstration steps
Create a new query in SQL Server Management Studio. Make sure the current database is set to
AdventureWorks2008
Enter and then run the following ROLLUP query:
o USE AdventureWorksDW2008;
GO
SELECT ProductKey, OrderDateKey, DueDateKey, ShipDateKey, SUM (SalesAmount) AS
[Sales]
FROM dbo.FactInternetSales
GROUP BY ROLLUP(ProductKey, OrderDateKey, DueDateKey, ShipDateKey);
Enter and then run the following CUBE query:
o USE AdventureWorksDW2008;
GO
SELECT ProductKey, OrderDateKey, DueDateKey, ShipDateKey,SUM (SalesAmount) AS
[Sales]
FROM dbo.FactInternetSales
GROUP BY CUBE(ProductKey, OrderDateKey, DueDateKey, ShipDateKey);
Additional Reading
Using the GROUP BY Clause
GROUP BY (Transact-SQL)
Filtering Grouped Data by Using the HAVING Clause

HAVING (Transact-SQL)
Building a Query for Summarizing Grouped Data - GROUP BY

Examining how the ROLLUP and CUBE Operators Work

Using the ROLLUP and CUBE Operators

Examining the COMPUTE and COMPUTE BY Clauses

COMPUTE (Transact-SQL)
Building a Query for Summarizing Grouped Data - COMPUTE

Using GROUPING SETS

GROUPING SETS Equivalents
Lesson 3
Ranking Grouped Data
Contents:

Categorizing the Ranking Functions Based on Their Functionality
Question: What ranking function would be most useful in ranking the teams in a sports league where
you dont want gaps in the rankings?
Answer: DENSE_RANK.
Additional Reading
What is Ranking?
Ranking Functions (Transact-SQL)
Over Clause (Transact-SQL)
Ranking Data by Using RANK

RANK (Transact-SQL)
Ranking Data by Using DENSE_RANK

DENSE_RANK (Transact-SQL)
Ranking Data by Using ROW_NUMBER

ROW_NUMBER (Transact-SQL)
Ranking Data by Using NTILE

NTILE (Transact-SQL)
Categorizing the Ranking Functions Based on Their Functionality

Lesson 4
Creating Crosstab Queries
Contents:
Additional Reading
How the PIVOT and UNPIVOT Operators Work
Using PIVOT and UNPIVOT
Using the PIVOT Operator

Using the UNPIVOT Operator

Grouping and Summarization Features New to SQL Server 2008

SQL Server Overview

Review questions
Question: Which of the built in aggregate functions does not ignore NULL values?
Answer: The COUNT(*) statement
Question: The HAVING clause is very similar to the WHERE clause with one notable difference. What
is the difference?
Answer: HAVING filters after the SELECT but before the results are returned. WHERE filters in the
SELECT.
Question: Which ranking function would be appropriate for a sports league rankings query?
Answer: RANK, because ties are present, with gaps between tied ranks.
Question: Creating cross tab queries is probably one of the most common uses for what operator?
Answer: The PIVOT operator.


Question: When you execute queries with aggregate functions you may see a warning message Null
value is eliminated by an aggregate or other SET operation. Why do you get this?
Answer: The server returns this warning as a convenience, letting you know that null values were not
respected by your operation. This could potentially save you some debugging time later if you were
not expecting the null value elimination. Other exercises in the lab show you how to explicitly
eliminate null values from your queries.
Question: When executing your query you receive the error Column xyz is invalid in the select list
because it is not contained in either an aggregate function or the GROUP BY clause. What did you
forget to do?
Answer: This error occurs most frequently when you forget to include columns in the select list that
arent used with aggregates into the GROUP BY clause.
Question: When ranking the salespersons into four categories based on their year to date sales, were
the amount of results in each category even? Why or why not?
Answer: If the number of rows in a category is not divisible by number of categories, the size of the
groups will differ by one member. Additionally, the larger group will come before the others.
Joining Data from Multiple Tables 4-1
Module 4
Joining Data from Multiple Tables
Contents:
Lesson 1: Querying Multiple Tables by Using Joins 2
Lesson 2: Applying Joins for Typical Reporting Needs 6
Lesson 3: Combining and Limiting Result Sets 10
Lesson 1
Querying Multiple Tables by Using Joins
Contents:

Demonstration: Querying a Table Using Joins
Question: When would it make sense to use an outer join instead of an inner join?
Answer: When you need to return all rows from at least one of the tables or views mentioned in the
FROM clause instead of eliminating rows as an inner join would do.
Question: Can you think of any scenarios in which you would use a cross join?
Answer: If you want to run a query that will return data for every month, for example, even on
customers that had no orders that particular month, you could use a Cartesian product to get that
data.
Detailed Demo Steps

Demonstration: Querying a Table Using Joins
Demonstration steps
Start SQL Server Management Studio and, using the AdventureWorks2008 database, perform each of
the queries found in E:\MOD04\Democode\QueryingWithJoins.sql.
Additional Reading
Fundamentals of Joins
PRIMARY KEY Constraints
FOREIGN KEY Constraints
Categorizing Statements by Types of Joins

Using Joins
Lesson 2
Applying Joins for Typical Reporting Needs
Contents:

Demonstration: Joining Tables
Question: What is a translation (or intermediate) table and what is it used for?
Answer: A translation (or intermediate) table is the middle table in a join when you are joining three
or more tables.
Question: When does it make sense to use a non-equi join?
Answer: As a general rule, not-equal joins make sense only when used with a self-join.
Detailed Demo Steps

Demonstration: Joining Tables
Demonstration steps
Using the AdventureWorks2008 database, perform each of the queries found in
E:\MOD04\Democode\JoiningTables.sql.
Additional Reading
Joining Tables in a User-Defined Function
Views
Lesson 3
Combining and Limiting Result Sets
Contents:

Limiting Result Sets by Using the TOP and TABLESAMPLE Operators
Question: When would you use TOP to limit a result set?
Answer: Sometimes you want to determine how many rows are returned by a query, for example in a
table that contains dates you may only want to return some number or percentage of the most
recent rows added or modified. You can use the TOP clause to do this.
Question: When would you use TABLESAMPLE to limit a result set?
Answer: Whenever you need a truly random sample of data from your database, such as in some
data mining applications where you need a sampling mechanism, you can use TABLESAMPLE. With
TABLESAMPLE you are able to get a sample set of data without having to sift through the database
manually.
Demonstration: Combining and Limiting Result Sets

Question: What are the basic rules for combining the result sets of two queries by using UNION?
Answer: The following are basic rules for combining the result sets of two queries by using UNION:
The number and the order of the columns must be the same in all queries.
The data types must be compatible.
Question: How do you think rows are returned from a SELECT TOP statement that also has an ORDER
BY clause?
Answer: If a SELECT statement that includes TOP also has an ORDER BY clause, the rows to be
returned are selected from the ordered result set. The whole result set is built in the specified order
and the top n rows in the ordered result set are returned.
Question: What conditions must be met in order to use TABLESAMPLE to return a sample from a
large table?
Answer: You can use TABLESAMPLE to quickly return a sample from a large table when either of the
following conditions is true:
The sample does not have to be a truly random sample at the level of individual rows.
Rows on individual pages of the table are not correlated with other rows on the same page.
Detailed Demo Steps

Demonstration: Combining and Limiting Result Sets
Demonstration steps
Demo Steps
1. Prepare the AdventureWorks2008 database using the query found at
E:\MOD04\Democode\PrepareResultSets.sql.
2. Using the AdventureWorks2008 database, perform each of the queries found in
E:\MOD04\Democode\ResultSets.sql.
Additional Reading
Limiting Result Sets by Using the EXCEPT and INTERSECT Operators
Collation Precedence (Transact-SQL)

Review questions
Question: How does a join condition define the way two tables are related in a query?
Answer: By specifying the column from each table to be used for the join or by specifying a logical
operator (for example, = or <>,) to be used in comparing values from the columns.
Question: How can multiple join operators be combined in the same statement?
Answer: The join expressions can be connected using the AND or OR operators.
Question: What options are available to the TABLESAMPLE clause and what are they used for?
Answer: SYSTEM and REPEATABLE. SYSTEM returns an approximate percentage of rows and
generates a random value for each physical 8-KB page in the table. REPEATABLE causes a selected
sample to be returned again.
Best Practices related to using Joins

Specifying the join conditions in the FROM clause helps separate them from any other search
conditions that may be specified in a WHERE clause, and is the recommended method for
specifying joins.
Columns used in a join condition are not required to have the same name or be the same data
type. However, if the data types are not identical, they must be compatible, or be types that SQL
Server can implicitly convert.
To retain the non-matching information by including non-matching rows in the results of a join,
use a full outer join. SQL Server provides the full outer join operator, FULL OUTER JOIN, which
includes all rows from both tables, regardless of whether or not the other table has a matching
value.
Best Practices related to using the UNION operator

All select lists in the statements that are being combined with UNION must have the same
number of expressions (column names, arithmetic expressions, aggregate functions, and so on).
Corresponding columns in the result sets that are being combined with UNION, or any subset of
columns used in individual queries, must be of the same data type, have an implicit data
conversion possible between the two data types, or have an explicit conversion supplied. For
example, a UNION between a column of datetime data type and one of binary data type will not
work unless an explicit conversion is supplied. However, a UNION will work between a column of
money data type and one of int data type, because they can be implicitly converted.
Corresponding result set columns in the individual statements that are being combined with
UNION must occur in the same order, because UNION compares the columns one-to-one in the
order given in the individual queries.
Best Practices related to using the EXCEPT and INTERSECT operators

The definitions of the columns that are part of an EXCEPT or INTERSECT operation do not have to
be the same, but they must be comparable through implicit conversion.
The query specification or expression cannot return xml, text, ntext, image, or nonbinary CLR
user-defined type columns because these data types are not comparable.

Question: What results did the Inner Join in Exercise 1 return?
Answer: All the columns in both tables, and returns only the rows for which there is an equal value in
the join column.
Question: What results did the Left Outer Join and Right Outer Join in Exercise 1 return?
Answer: The Left Outer Join included all rows in the Product table in the results, whether or not there
was a match on the ProductID column in the ProductReview table. The Right Outer Join returned all
sales persons in the results, regardless of whether they are assigned a territory.
Question: Why was the ProductVendor table given two different table aliases in the FROM clause of
Exercise 2?
Answer: Because the ProductVendor table appears in two roles and those aliases were used to qualify
the column names in the rest of the query.
Question: What would happen if we added an ORDER BY clause to the TOP select statement in
Exercise 3?
Answer: The rows to be returned would be selected from the ordered result set instead of from the
standard, unordered result set.
Working with Subqueries 5-1
Module 5
Working with Subqueries
Contents:
Lesson 1: Writing Basic Subqueries 2
Lesson 2: Writing Correlated Subqueries 6
Lesson 3: Comparing Subqueries with Joins and Temporary Tables 9
Lesson 4: Using Common Table Expressions 11
Lesson 1
Writing Basic Subqueries
Contents:

Demonstration: Writing Basic Subqueries
Question: How would you rewrite the basic subquery demonstrated to you here as a join?
Answer:
SELECT Prd1.Name FROM Production.Product AS Prd1

JOIN Production.Product AS Prd2 ON
(Prd1.ListPrice = Prd2.ListPrice)
WHERE Prd2. Name = 'Freewheel'
Question: What results were returned by the SELECT statement that contained an ANY expression
and why?
Answer: The products whose list prices are greater than or equal to the maximum list price of any
product subcategory.
Detailed Demo Steps

Demonstration: Writing Basic Subqueries
Demonstration steps
the queries found in E:\MOD05\Democode\WritingBasicSubqueries.sql.
Additional Reading
What are Subqueries?
ALL (Transact-SQL)
SOME | ANY (Transact-SQL)
Scalar versus Tabular Subqueries

Craig Freedman's SQL Server Blog: Scalar Subqueries
Lesson 2
Writing Correlated Subqueries
Contents:

Demonstration: Writing Correlated Subqueries
Question: What is the process behind building a correlated subquery?
Answer:
1. Outer query passes column values to the inner query.
2. Inner query uses that value to satisfy the inner query.

3. Inner query returns a value back to the outer query.
4. The process is repeated for the next row of the outer query.
5. Go back to step 1 and repeat.
Question: What results did the correlated subqueries return?
Answer: Sales where the quantity is less than the average quantity for sales of that product.
Detailed Demo Steps

Demonstration: Writing Correlated Subqueries
Demonstration steps
the queries found in E:\MOD05\Democode\WritingCorrelatedSubqueries.sql.
Lesson 3
Comparing Subqueries with Joins and Temporary
Tables
Contents:
Additional Reading
Temporary Tables
table (Transact-SQL)
Lesson 4
Contents:

Demonstration: Using Common Table Expressions
Question: In the first demonstration, how many times was the CTE referenced when the statement
was executed and why?
Answer: When the statement was executed, the CTE was referenced two times: one time to return
the selected columns for the salesperson, and again to retrieve similar details for the salesperson's
manager. The data for both the salesperson and the manager were returned in a single row.
Question: What would happen if you created a recursive CTE that returned the same values for both
the parent and child columns?
Answer: You would create an infinite loop. Note that, when testing the results of a recursive query,
you can limit the number of recursion levels allowed for a specific statement by using the
MAXRECURSION hint and a value between 0 and 32,767 in the OPTION clause of the INSERT,
UPDATE, DELETE, or SELECT statement.
Detailed Demo Steps

Demonstration: Using Common Table Expressions
Demonstration steps
the queries found in E:\MOD05\Democode\Sales_CTE.sql and then
E:\MOD05\Democode\ProductBOM.sql.
Additional Reading
Writing Recursive Queries by Using Common Table Expressions
Recursive Queries Using Common Table Expressions

Review questions
Question: A subquery nested in the outer SELECT statement has what components?
Answer: A regular SELECT query including the regular select list components, a regular FROM clause
including one or more table or view names, an optional WHERE clause, an optional GROUP BY clause,
and an optional HAVING clause.
Question: What clauses can the SELECT query of a subquery include? What clauses can it not
include?
Answer: The SELECT query of a subquery cannot include a COMPUTE or FOR BROWSE clause, and
may only include an ORDER BY clause when a TOP clause is also specified.
Question: What are the three basic types of subqueries?
Answer: Those that operate on lists introduced with IN, or those that a comparison operator
modified by ANY or ALL; those that are introduced with an unmodified comparison operator and
must return a single value; those that are existence tests introduced with EXISTS..
Best Practices related to Subqueries with EXISTS

Subqueries that are introduced with EXISTS are a bit different from other subqueries in the
following ways:
o The keyword EXISTS is not preceded by a column name, constant, or other expression.
o The select list of a subquery introduced by EXISTS almost always consists of an asterisk (*).
There is no reason to list column names because you are just testing whether rows that meet
the conditions specified in the subquery exist.
The EXISTS keyword is important because frequently there is no alternative, nonsubquery
formulation. Although some queries that are created with EXISTS cannot be expressed any other
way, many queries can use IN or a comparison operator modified by ANY or ALL to achieve
similar results.

Question: How are basic subqueries evaluated?
Answer: By executing the subquery once and substituting the resulting value or values into the
WHERE clause of the outer query.
Question: How are correlated subqueries evaluated?
Answer: These subqueries depends on the query for their values. This means that the subquery is
executed repeatedly, once for each row that might be selected in the outer query.
Question: What could a Common Table Expression be used for?
Answer: Creating a recursive query, substituting for a view when the general use of a view is not
required, enabled grouping by a column that is derived from a scalar subselect, or referencing the
resulting table multiple times in the same statement.
Modifying Data in Tables 6-1
Module 6
Modifying Data in Tables
Contents:
Lesson 1: Inserting Data into Tables 2
Lesson 2: Deleting Data from Tables 6
Lesson 3: Update Data in Tables 10
Lesson 4: Overview of Transactions 14
Lesson 1
Inserting Data into Tables
Contents:

Demonstration: Inserting Data into Tables
Question: Why is the VALUES clause used when appending data into a table?
Answer: Because you have to insert an explicit value in the IDENTITY column for SQL Server to
increment.
Question: Under what circumstances must the column_list portion of the INSERT statement be
defined?
Answer: column_list and VALUES list must be used when explicit values are inserted into an identity
column, and the SET IDENTITY_INSERT option must be ON for the table.
Detailed Demo Steps

Demonstration: Inserting Data into Tables
Demonstration steps
the queries found in E:\MOD06\Democode\InsertingDataIntoTables.sql.
Additional Reading
INSERT Fundamentals
INSERT (Transact SQL)
INSERT Statement Definitions

Adding Rows by Using INSERT and SELECT
INSERT Statement Examples

Inserting Values into Identity Columns

OUTPUT Clause (Transact-SQL)
Using the OUTPUT Clause with the INSERT Statement

Lesson 2
Deleting Data from Tables
Contents:

Demonstration: Deleting Data from Tables
Question: Why should you use the TRUNCATE statement?
Answer: The TRUNCATE TABLE statement is a fast, efficient method of deleting all rows in a table.
Question: How can you completely remove a table from a database?
Answer: Both the DELETE and TRUNCATE statements delete only rows from the table; the table must
be removed from the database by using the DROP TABLE statement.
Detailed Demo Steps

Demonstration: Deleting Data from Tables
Demonstration steps
the queries found in E:\MOD06\Democode\DeletingDataFromTables.sql.
Additional Reading
Delete Fundamentals
DELETE (Transact-SQL)
DELETE Statement Definitions

Defining and Using the TRUNCATE Statement

TRUNCATE TABLE (Transact-SQL)
TRUNCATE versus DELETE

DELETE and the OUTPUT Clause

Lesson 3
Update Data in Tables
Contents:

Demonstration: Updating Data in Tables
Question: What are the major clauses of the UPDATE statement and what do they do?
Answer: SET, FROM, and WHERE. Definitions of these clauses are available on slide 19 of this slide
deck.
Question: How would you write an UPDATE statement to increase the price of all products on a table
by 10 percent?
Answer: You would use the TOP clause with a (10) PERCENT argument, such as in the following:
UPDATE TOP (10) PERCENT Production.Product SET ListPrice = ListPrice * 1.1
Detailed Demo Steps

Demonstration: Updating Data in Tables
Demonstration steps
the queries found in E:\MOD06\Democode\UpdatingDataInTables.sql.
Additional Reading
UPDATE Fundamentals
UPDATE (Transact-SQL)
Changing Data by Using UPDATE
UPDATE Statement Definitions

Changing Data by Using the SET Clause
Changing Data by Using the FROM Clause
Changing Data by Using the WHERE Clause
Updating with Information from another Table

UPDATE and the OUTPUT Clause

Lesson 4
Overview of Transactions
Contents:

Demonstration: Creating a Transaction
Question: How can a transaction be rolled back and when would you want to roll a transaction back?
Answer: If errors are encountered, all data modifications made after the BEGIN TRANSACTION can
be rolled back using the ROLLBACK TRANSACTION statement to return the data to this known state
of consistency. Each transaction lasts until either it completes without errors and COMMIT
TRANSACTION is issued to make the modifications a permanent part of the database, or errors are
encountered and all modifications are erased with a ROLLBACK TRANSACTION statement.
Demonstration: Setting Transaction Isolation Levels

Question: How long does SQL Server hold a shared lock created by the SET TRANSACTION
ISOLATION LEVEL statement?
Answer: For each Transact-SQL statement that follows, SQL Server holds all of the shared locks until
the end of the transaction.
Demonstration: Using Nested Transactions

Question: What did the SELECT statement indicate to you?
Answer: This indicates that the commit of the inner transaction from the transaction OutOfProc was
overridden by the subsequent rollback.
Detailed Demo Steps

Demonstration: Creating a Transaction
Demonstration steps
the queries found in E:\MOD06\Democode\CreatingATransaction.sql.
Demonstration: Setting Transaction Isolation Levels

Demonstration steps
the queries found in E:\MOD06\Democode\SettingTIL.sql.
Demonstration: Demonstration: Using Nested Transactions

Demonstration steps
1. Start SQL Server Management Studio and, using the AdventureWorks2008 database, perform
each of the queries found in E:\MOD06\Democode\UsingNestedTransactions.sql.
2. Refresh AdventureWorks2008 | Programmability | Stored Procedures to view the new

dbo.TransProc procedure created by using Nested Transactions.
Additional Reading
Transaction Fundamentals
Transactions (Database Engine)
Distributed Transactions (Database Engine)
Transactions and the Database Engine

Write-Ahead Transaction Log
Checkpoints and the Active Portion of the Log
Basic Transaction Statement Definitions

BEGIN TRANSACTION (Transact-SQL)
COMMIT TRANSACTION (Transact-SQL)
SET XACT_ABORT (Transact-SQL)
Using TRY...CATCH in Transact-SQL
What are Transaction Isolation Levels?

Isolation Levels in the Database Engine
Using Nested Transactions

Nesting Transactions

Review questions
Question: What are the four properties of a logical unit of work?
Answer: ACID - atomicity, consistency, isolation, and durability.
Question: How can the INSERT and SELECT statements be used to add rows to a table?
Answer: Use the INSERT statement to specify values directly or from a subquery, use the SELECT
statement with the INTO clause.
Question: What happens when a WHERE clause is not specified in a DELETE statement?
Answer: If a WHERE clause is not specified, all the rows in table_or_view are deleted.
Question: What are the major clauses of the UPDATE statement?
Answer: SET, FROM, and WHERE.
Best Practices related to Specifying and Enforcing Transactions

SQL programmers are responsible for starting and ending transactions at points that enforce the
logical consistency of the data.
The programmer must define the sequence of data modifications that leave the data in a
consistent state relative to the organization's business rules.
The programmer must include these modification statements in a single transaction so that the
SQL Server Database Engine can enforce the physical integrity of the transaction.
Best Practices related to Inserting Rows into a Table

If a value is being loaded into columns with a char, varchar, or varbinary data type, the padding
or truncation of trailing blanks (spaces for char and varchar, zeros for varbinary) is determined
by the SET ANSI_PADDING setting defined for the column when the table was created.
If an empty string (' ') is loaded into a column with a varchar or text data type, the default
operation is to load a zero-length string.
If an INSERT statement violates a constraint or rule, or if it has a value incompatible with the data
type of the column, the statement fails and the Database Engine displays an error message.
Best Practices related to Deleting Rows from a Table

DELETE can be used in the body of a user-defined function if the object modified is a table
variable.
The DELETE statement may fail if it tries to remove a row referenced by data in another table with
a FOREIGN KEY constraint. If the DELETE removes multiple rows, and any one of the removed
rows violates a constraint, the statement is canceled, an error is returned, and no rows are
removed.
If you want to delete all the rows in a table, use the DELETE statement without specifying a
WHERE clause, or use TRUNCATE TABLE.
TRUNCATE TABLE is faster than DELETE and uses fewer system and transaction log resources.
Note: if you do use the TRUNCATE statement on a table, you will reset the identity seed
of any IDENTITY column in that table.
Best Practices related to Updating Rows in a Table

UPDATE statements are allowed in the body of user-defined functions only if the table being
modified is a table variable.
If an update to a row violates a constraint or rule, violates the NULL setting for the column, or the
new value is an incompatible data type, the statement is canceled, an error is returned, and no
records are updated.
The results of an UPDATE statement are undefined if the statement includes a FROM clause that
is not specified in such a way that only one value is available for each column occurrence that is
updated, that is if the UPDATE statement is not deterministic.

Question: Why are values for column names listed in the same order as columns on the table when
using the INSERT statement?
Answer: Because if all values for column names are listed in the same order as columns on the table,
we do not need to specify a column name list.
Question: How can we verify that a table has been deleted after using the DELETE statement?
Answer: Use a SELECT COUNT(*) statement on the deleted table.
Question: How can we write an UPDATE statement to ensure that all rows of a table are affected?
Answer: By omitting a WHERE clause that would specify the row or rows to update.
Querying Metadata, XML, and Full-Text Indexes 7-1
Module 7
Querying Metadata, XML, and Full-Text Indexes
Contents:
Lesson 1: Querying Metadata 2
Lesson 2: Overview of XML 6
Lesson 3: Querying XML Data 8
Lesson 4: Overview of Full-Text Indexes 13
Lesson 5: Querying Full-Text Indexes 15
Lesson 1
Querying Metadata
Contents:

Demonstration: Querying Metadata
Question: Why would you choose to use the INFORMATION_SCHEMA rather than System Catalog
views to obtain metadata?
Answer: The INFORMATION_SCHEMA is based on the ISO standard for metadata so metadata
queries using it will be portable between ISO standard databases.
Question: Why would you choose to use the System Stored Procedures and Functions to query
metadata?
Answer: System Stored Procedures and Functions provide a layer of abstraction that reduces the
need to understand the underlying system catalog
Detailed Demo Steps

Demonstration: Querying Metadata
Demonstration steps
Querying metadata using System Catalog Views

Open a new query window and enter the following query:
SELECT *
FROM sys.tables;
On the toolbar, click Execute
Querying metadata using the Information Schema

SELECT COLUMN_NAME
FROM INFORMATION_SCHEMA.COLUMNS
WHERE TABLE_NAME = N'Product';
Querying metadata using Dynamic Management Views

SELECT count(*), Command

FROM sys.dm_exec_requests
GROUP BY Command
Querying metadata using System Stored Procedures and Functions

EXEC sp_columns @table_name = N'Department',

@table_owner = N'HumanResources';

Additional Reading
What Is Metadata?
Managing Metadata in SQL Server
Compatibility Views
Compatibility Views (Transact-SQL)
System Catalog Views

Querying the SQL Server System Catalog
System Catalog View Examples

Information Schema Views

Information Schema Views (Transact-SQL)
Information Schema View Examples

Dynamic Management Views And Functions

Dynamic Management Views and Functions
Dynamic Management Views And Functions Examples

System Stored Procedures and Functions

Viewing Database Metadata
Lesson 2
Overview of XML
Contents:
Additional Reading
What Is XML?
Understanding XML in SQL Server
Technical Scenarios Where XML Is Used

Business Scenarios Where XML Is Used

How SQL Server? 2008 Implements XML

The XML Data Type

Using XML Data Types
Lesson 3
Querying XML Data
Contents:

Demonstration: Using XML
Question: Why would XQuery be used in a query?
Answer: XQuery can be used in a query when data must be returned from a query that is contained
in an XML column and not the XML itself.
Question: Why would OpenXML be used?
Answer: If XML is provided and the data contained in the XML is needed in relational format then
OpenXML can be used to shred the XML.
Detailed Demo Steps

Demonstration: Using XML
Demonstration steps
Using For XML to generate XML results
SELECT Cust.CustomerID,
OrderHeader.CustomerID,
OrderHeader.SalesOrderID,
OrderHeader.Status,
Cust.AccountNumber
FROM Sales.Customer Cust, Sales.SalesOrderHeader OrderHeader
WHERE Cust.CustomerID = OrderHeader.CustomerID
ORDER BY Cust.CustomerID
FOR XML AUTO

Using OpenXML to query XML
DECLARE @xml_text VARCHAR(4000), @i INT

SELECT @xml_text = ' <root>
<person LastName="White" FirstName="Johnson" Title="Mr."/>
<person LastName="Green" FirstName="Marjorie" Title="Mrs."/>
<person LastName="Carson" FirstName="Cheryl" Title="Miss"/></root>'
EXEC sp_xml_preparedocument @i OUTPUT, @xml_text
SELECT * FROM OPENXML(@i, '/root/person') WITH
(LastName nvarchar(50),
FirstName nvarchar(50),
Title nvarchar(8))
EXEC sp_xml_removedocument @i

Using XQuery to query XML
SELECT JobCandidateID,
Resume.value('declare namespace ns=
"http://schemas.microsoft.com/sqlserver/2004/07/adventure-works/Resume";
concat((/ns:Resume/ns:Name/ns:Name.First)[1], " ",
(/ns:Resume/ns:Name/ns:Name.Last)[1])',
'nvarchar(60)') AS FullName,
Resume.query('declare namespace ns=
"http://schemas.microsoft.com/sqlserver/2004/07/adventure-works/Resume";
for $ed in /ns:Resume/ns:Education
where $ed/ns:Edu.Level="Bachelor" and $ed/ns:Edu.Major="Business"
return $ed') AS Education

FROM HumanResources.JobCandidate

Additional Reading
Using For XML to Generate XML
FOR XML Support for String Data Types
Shredding XML
Using OPENXML
Querying XML using XQuery

How to use XQuery to query XML data
Generating XML Based Reports

Reporting Services Using XML and Web Service Data Sources
Lesson 4
Overview of Full-Text Indexes
Contents:
Additional Reading
What Are Full-Text Indexes?
SQL Server 2008 Full-Text Search Internals and Enhancements
How are Full-Text Indexes populated?

Full-Text Indexing and Querying Process

How to implement full-text indexes in SQL Server? 2008

Lesson 5
Querying Full-Text Indexes
Contents:

Demonstration: Full Text Index
Question: Why would you choose to use a full text search function rather than a predicate?
Answer: The full text search functions provide a ranking value for each query result which can be
useful in many situations.
Question: Why would you choose to use a full text search predicate rather than a function?
Answer: Full text search predicates are easy to use in existing queries and new queries without
adding the complexity of joining to the results of the function.
Detailed Demo Steps

Demonstration: Full Text Index
Demonstration steps
Creating a Full Text Index
exec sp_fulltext_database 'enable'

EXEC sp_fulltext_catalog 'Cat_Name', 'create'
EXEC sp_fulltext_table 'Production.Product', 'create', 'Cat_Name',
'PK_Product_ProductID';
EXEC sp_fulltext_column 'Production.Product','Name','add';
EXEC sp_fulltext_table 'Production.Product','activate';
EXEC sp_fulltext_table 'Production.Product ', 'Start_change_tracking';
EXEC sp_fulltext_table 'Production.Product ', 'Start_background_updateindex';

Querying a Full Text Index using predicates
SELECT Name
FROM Production.Product
WHERE CONTAINS(Name, ' "Chain*" ');

Querying a Full Text Index using functions
SELECT Product.ProductID, Product.Name, Keys.Rank

FROM Production.Product
INNER JOIN FREETEXTTABLE(Production.Product, Name,
'Chain',LANGUAGE 'English',2) AS Keys
ON Product.ProductID = Keys.[KEY];

Additional Reading
Overview of Full-Text Search
The CONTAINS Predicate

The FREETEXT Predicate

Full-Text Functions
Full-Text Search Query Fundamentals
Combining Full-Text Search and T-SQL Predicates

Integrating Full-Text Search and Transact-SQL Predicates

Review questions
Question: What method should be used to obtain metadata from SQL Server 2008 pertaining to
database activity?
Answer:Dynamic Management Views provide activity information about SQL Server.
Question: What XQuery statements make up the FLWOR structure?
Answer:FLWOR is the acronym for for, let, where, order by, and return which are the statements that
make up the FLWOR structure.
Question: What query language is specifically designed for querying data stored in XML?
Answer:XQuery is a query language designed and developed for querying data stored in XML.
Question: What is the difference between a full-text query predicate and function?
Answer:The difference is that the predicates return boolean (true/false) values so they are only useful
within WHERE clauses of queries. On the other hand, the functions return matches in table form.

Question: What application business requirements can be accomplished by using metadata queries?
Answer: Metadata can be used for many requirements such as retrieving column names for tables,
determining the data type and other properties of columns, or monitoring database activity.
Question: What is the purpose of compatibility views?
Answer: Compatibility views are provided to support applications that were developed on previous
versions of SQL Server and used deprecated metadata structures.
Question: What statement can be used to convert relational data to XML?
Answer: The FOR XML statement can be used to convert relational data to XML.
Question: What is the difference between the FREETEXT and CONTAINS predicates?
Answer: The FREETEXT predicate is a simplistic method for searching for words or forms of a word.
CONTAINS provides more advanced searching options such as finding words or phrases that are near
other words or phrases.
Using Programming Objects for Data Retrieval 8-1
Module 8
Using Programming Objects for Data Retrieval
Contents:
Lesson 1: Encapsulating Queries by Using Views 2
Lesson 2: Encapsulating Expressions by Using User-Defined Functions 6
Lesson 3: Overview of Stored Procedures and Triggers 10
Lesson 4: Overview of Triggers 14
Lesson 5: Writing Distributed Queries 18
Lesson 1
Encapsulating Queries by Using Views
Contents:

Demonstration: Building A View
Question: Why would an indexed view be used?
Answer: Indexing a view improves the performance of views that have large result sets or are called
frequently.
Question: Why would a partitioned view be used?
Answer: Partitioning large tables into smaller tables improves performance and allows the load to be
distributed among database resources. Partitioned views allow these partitioned tables to be
combined into a single view to be queried.
Detailed Demo Steps

Demonstration: Building A View
Demonstration steps
Create a view
CREATE VIEW vwEmployeeLogins AS

SELECT NationalIDNumber,
LoginID
FROM HumanResources.Employee
GO
Query a view
SELECT * FROM vwEmployeeLogins
Generate a script for a view

In Object Explorer, in the AdventureWorks2008 database, right-click the Views folder, and then
click Refresh.
Right-click the dbo.vwEmployeeLogins view, point to Script View as, point to CREATE To, and
then click New Query Editor Window.
Additional Reading
What Are Views?
SQL Views
Creating and Managing a View

CREATE VIEW (Transact-SQL)
Considerations When Creating Views

Restrictions for Modifying Data by Using Views

Indexed Views
Creating Indexed Views
Creating An Indexed View

Partitioned Views
Using Partitioned Views
Creating A Partitioned View

Lesson 2
Encapsulating Expressions by Using User-Defined
Functions
Contents:

Demonstration: Building A User Defined Function
Question: Why would a scalar type user-defined function be used?
Answer: Scalar type user-defined functions return a single value and can be embedded into a query
to alter the value of a column.
Question: Why would a table type user-defined function be used?
Answer: Table type user-defined functions return multiple values in a row/column table structure and
can be queried like a table.
Detailed Demo Steps

Demonstration: Building A User Defined Function
Demonstration steps
Create a user defined function

CREATE FUNCTION fnSquared

(
@number int
)
RETURNS int
AS
BEGIN
DECLARE @result int
SET @result = @number * @number
RETURN @result
END
GO
Query a user defined function

SELECT dbo.fnSquared(2)
SELECT dbo.fnSquared(8)

Additional Reading
What Are User-Defined Functions
User-defined Function Basics
Creating and Managing User-Defined Functions

CREATE FUNCTION (Transact-SQL)
Restrictions When Creating User-Defined Functions

How to Implement Different Types of User-Defined Functions

Performance Considerations for using User-Defined Functions

Lesson 3
Overview of Stored Procedures
Contents:

Demonstration: Creating Stored Procedures
Question: How do Stored Procedures promote modular programming?
Answer: Stored Procedures encapsulate common functionality so that it can be accessed from
whereever it is required.
Detailed Demo Steps

Demonstration: Create an Answer File
Demonstration steps
Create a stored procedure

CREATE Procedure pGetEmployeeLogin

@NationalIDNumber nvarchar(15)
AS
SELECT NationalIDNumber,
LoginID
FROM HumanResources.Employee
WHERE NationalIDNumber = @NationalIDNumber
GO
Execute a stored procedure

Exec pGetEmployeeLogin @NationalIDNumber='295847284'

Additional Reading
What Are Stored Procedures?
CREATE PROCEDURE (Transact-SQL)
How Are Stored Procedures Created?

Stored Procedure Initial Execution

Stored Procedure Tips and Best Practices

Demonstration: Creating Stored Procedures

Lesson 4
Overview of Triggers
Contents:

Demonstration: Creating Triggers
Question: Why would you use an INSTEAD OF trigger rather than an AFTER trigger?
Answer: An INSTEAD OF trigger executes before the insert, update, or delete occurs so it can be used
to validate the action before it happens and cancel it if necessary.
Question: Why would you use an AFTER trigger rather than an INSTEAD OF trigger?
Answer: An AFTER trigger executes after the insert, update, or delete occurs so it can be used to
perform subsequent action after the data has been changed.
Detailed Demo Steps

Demonstration steps
Create a trigger
CREATE TRIGGER trigCurrency

ON Sales.Currency
AFTER INSERT
AS
BEGIN
DECLARE @name nvarchar(50)
SELECT @name = Name
FROM inserted
IF len(@name) < 5
BEGIN
ROLLBACK TRANSACTION
END
END
GO
See the results of a trigger

This statement will fail:

INSERT INTO Sales.Currency(CurrencyCode, Name)
VALUES('BAD', 'BAD')
This statement will succeed:
INSERT INTO Sales.Currency(CurrencyCode, Name)
VALUES('YES', 'THIS IS GOOD')

Additional Reading
What Are Triggers?
CREATE TRIGGER (Transact-SQL)
How are Triggers Created?

How Triggers Work

Trigger Types and Limitations

Lesson 5
Writing Distributed Queries
Contents:
Additional Reading
How SQL Server? Works With Heterogeneous Data
Distributed Queries
Adding Linked Servers

Linking Servers
Using Ad Hoc Distributed Queries

Distributed Queries
How To Write Linked Server Based Distributed Queries

OPENROWSET (Transact-SQL)
sp_addlinkedserver (Transact-SQL)

Review Questions
Question: What option must be specified in a CREATE VIEW in order for the view to be indexable?
Answer: The SCHEMABINDING option must be specified for a view to be indexable.
Question: How can the source of a stored procedure be hidden?
Answer: Using the WITH ENCRYPTION option of CREATE PROCEDURE obfuscates the procedure
source.
Question: What special kind of stored procedure can be used to roll back an attempted data
modification in a SQL Server table?
Answer: A trigger is a stored procedure that is executed when a data modification is attempted.
Question: What types of data sources can be linked to SQL Server 2008 for distributed queries?
Answer: Any data source with a provider can be linked.


Question: What is the difference between scalar and table type user-defined functions?
Answer: A scalar type user-defined function returns a single scalar value. A table type user-defined
function returns multiple values organized in a table structure.
Question: Why would a linked server be used instead of an ad hoc distributed query?
Answer: A linked server maintains a connection with the remote data source at the server level so
that all queries to that data source can share it. This allows changes in the connectivity as well as
security measures for it to be managed in a single location.
Question: How is a table type user-defined function queried?
Answer: Since table type user-defined functions return multiple values in a table structure, they are
usually called within the FROM clause of a T-SQL query.
Question: Where are stored procedure execution plans stored after initial execution?
Answer: Compiled execution plans are stored in the stored procedure cache for future use.
Using Advanced Querying Techniques 9-1
Module 9
Using Advanced Querying Techniques
Contents:
Lesson 1: Considerations for Querying Data 2
Lesson 2: Working with Data Types 6
Lesson 3: Cursors and Set-Based Queries 10
Lesson 4: Dynamic SQL 14
Lesson 5: Maintaining Query Files 18
Lesson 1
Considerations for Querying Data
Contents:

Execution Plans
Question: Why would you want to view the Estimated Execution Plan?
Answer: Viewing the Estimated Execution Plan may reveal resource intensive operations before the
query is run.
Data Type Conversions

Question: What are some examples of operations that can result in data conversion?
Answer: Answers will vary, but some examples are: adding numbers to character strings, changing to
the money data type, or changing strings into date/time data.
Implicit Conversion
Question: When would you want to avoid implicit conversions?
Answer: Any time that you need to insure that an operation returns a specific data type, you should
avoid implicit conversions.
Demonstration: Using Execution Plans

Question: What do you need to do in order to be able to view the Actual Execution Plan?
Answer: In SQL Server Management Studio, you can right-click Include Actual Execution Plan before
the query is run. You can also use a SET SHOWPLAN command in a query, or use SQL Server Profiler
to capture Showplan Events.
Demonstration: Understanding Data Type Conversion

Question: How can implicit data type conversions cause unexpected results on queries that run
successfully?
Answer: Because of data type precedence rules, some queries will succeed even though the data type
precedence rules will result in one data type being converted to another data type in a way that you
did not intend.
Detailed Demo Steps

Demonstration: Using Execution Plans
Demonstration steps
Viewing estimated and actual execution plans with the UI

Open the script E:\MOD09\Democode\ExecutionPlanQuery.sql The simple subquery and join
produce an interesting execution plan.
View the Estimated Execution Plan in SQL Server Management Studio.
In SQL Server Management Studio, right-click the query, and then click Include Actual
Execution plan before executing the query.
Viewing estimated and actual execution plans with SET

Uncomment the SET SHOWPLAN_XML blocks in the query and views the XML showplans when
you execute the query.
Uncomment the SET SHOWPLAN_TEXT bblocks in the query and views the text showplans when
you execute the query.
Viewing estimated and actual execution plans with SQL Server Profiler
Start SQL Server Profiler and create a new trace.
In the Events tab, under Performance, select some of the different Showplan events and start
the trace.
In SQL Server Management Studio, execute the query again and review the execution plan in SQL
Server Profiler.
Demonstration: Understanding Data Type Conversion

Demonstration steps
Understanding Implicit Conversions

Open E:\MOD09\Democode\ImplicitConversionQueries.sql. There are several queries in the
file you can run independently of one other. Point out to students where implicit conversion
succeeds and where it fails or produces unintended results and why.
Understanding Explicit Conversions

Open E:\MOD09\Democode\CastConvertQueries.sql. There are several queries in the file you
can run independently of one another. Point out to students the slight difference between the
CAST and CONVERT usage.
Additional Reading
Execution Plans
Execution Plans

Implicit Conversions
Using CAST and CONVERT
Implicit Conversion
Explicit Conversions with CAST and CONVERT

Data Type Precedence

Lesson 2
Working with Data Types
Contents:

Demonstration: Working with Date/Time Data
Question: What happens when you insert data containing only a date or only a time into a column
that holds date and time data?
Answer: The insert will succeed, but SQL Server will supply default values for the missing portion.
Demonstration: Using the hierarchyid Data Type

Question: What is the difference between the GetDescendant and GetAncestor methods?
Answer: GetDescendant queries the next level down in the hierarchy, while GetAncestor queries the
next level up in the hierarchy.
Detailed Demo Steps

Demonstration: Working with Date/Time Data
Demonstration steps
Working with the different date/time data types

Open E:\MOD09\Democode\DateTimeComparisons.sql. The query produces a table that
compares how the same date/time appear in the different datetime data types.
Insert only date and only time data into a column that holds date and time data.
Insert a date and time into a column that holds only date or only time data to show the error.
Demonstration: Using the hierarchyid Data Type

Creating a hierarchy
Open the SalesTerritory solution in E:\Democode\SalesTerritory.
Run the queries in the following order:
o CreateTerritoryTable
o CreateTableIndex
o InsertRootTerritory
o InsertChildTerritory
o CreateTerritorySP this creates a stored procedure that helps automate the entry of
additional child nodes
o PopulateTerritoryTable this will not work without first running CreateTerritorySP
Querying and modifying a hierarchy

Run the following queries:
o GetTerritoryOrg can be used to query the current hierarchy
o GetNATerritories will show territories in North America
o MoveTerritory moves Australia from reporting to the Worldwide department to

reporting to the Asia Sales department
Additional Reading
Recommendations for Querying Date/Time Data
Using Time and Date Data
Date and Time Data Types and Functions
Recommendations for Inserting Date/Time Data

Implementing the hierarchyid Data Type

hierarchyid
Using the hierarchyid Data Type
Working with Hierarchies

hierarchyid
Lesson 3
Cursors and Set-Based Queries
Contents:

Understanding Cursors
Question: Can you think of a scenario where a cursor might prove useful?
Answer: Frequently, cursors are used to keep a running tally of a changing numeric value.
Demonstration: Working with Cursors

Question: How do you specify that a cursor should be read only?
Answer: Use READ_ONLY in the DECLARE CURSOR statement.
Demonstration: Using Set-Based Queries

Question: Why is it recommended to rewrite cursors as set-based queries?
Answer: In most cases, set-based queries run more quickly and are less resource-intensive than
cursors.
Detailed Demo Steps

Demonstration: Working with Cursors
Demonstration steps
Use a cursor
Open E:\MOD09\Democode\CursorSample.sql.
Review and execute the query. The code produces a list of products from the
AdventureWorks2008 database.
Demonstration: Using Set-Based Queries

Demonstration steps
Rewriting a cursor using a set-based approach

Open E:\MOD09\Democode\PriceUpdateCursor.sql. This creates a cursor that iterates through
the Production.Product table and updates list prices.
Rewrite the cursor using:

o UPDATE Production.Product SET ListPrice = 49.99
The query for the set-based approach can also be found in

E:\MOD09\Democode\PriceUpdateSetBased.sql.
Additional Reading
Understanding Cursors
Cursors (Database Engine)
Cursor Implementations
Using Cursors
DECLARE CURSOR:
Using DEALLOCATE
Understanding Set-Based Logic

JOIN Fundamentals
Manipulating Result Sets
Query Fundamentals
Lesson 4
Dynamic SQL
Contents:

Using Dynamic SQL
Question: Why choose one method of dynamic SQL execution over the other?
Answer: sp_executesql is more likely to produce a reusable execution plan, so EXECUTE is normally
used for simple situations where plan reusability is not a consideration.
Considerations for Using Dynamic SQL

Question: Why is SQL injection so dangerous?
Answer: SQL injection, if successful, can allow an unauthorized user to access, modify, or destroy data
very easily. All input must be validated when building dynamic SQL strings to help avoid SQL
injection.
Demonstration: Using Dynamic SQL

Question: What role do variables play in dynamic SQL?
Answer: Variables are used to store the individual strings of information that are then joined
together to form the query.
Detailed Demo Steps

Demonstration: Using Dynamic SQL
Demonstration steps
Building a dynamic SQL query

Open E:\MOD09\Democode\DynamicSQL.sql.
Review and execute the query to see how a dynamic SQL string is built then
passes to sp_executesql.
Additional Reading
Introducing Dynamic SQL
Dynamic SQL
Using Dynamic SQL

sp_executesql
Using sp_executesql
EXECUTE
Considerations for Using Dynamic SQL

SQL Injection
SQL Injection Protection
Lesson 5
Maintaining Query Files
Contents:
Additional Reading
What are Versioning and Source Control?
Source Control Basics
Features of Team Foundation Server 2008

Team Foundation Server
Version control with Team Foundation Server
TFS support for SQL Server 2008
Visual SourceSafe 2005

Review Questions
Question: How do cursors handle result sets?
Answer: Cursors handle the result sets on a row-by-row basis. Each row is fetched into the cursor,
where any read or update operations are performed, and then then next row is fetched into the
cursor.
Question: What functions are used to perform explicit data type conversions?
Answer: CAST and CONVERT are used to perform explicit data type conversions. CAST is the more
portable of the two functions, while CONVERT provides additional style options for date and time
conversions.
Question: What methods can be used to execute dynamic SQL queries?
Answer: Dynamic SQL queries can be executed with sp_executesql or EXECUTE. Sp_executesql is
more likely to produce reusable execution plans and is usually the recommended method for
executing dynamic SQL statements.
Common Issues related to data type conversion

Identify the causes for the following common issues related to data type conversion and fill in the
troubleshooting tips. For answers, refer to relevant lessons in the module.
Issue Troubleshooting tip
Cannot implicitly or explicitly convert string or Conversion to the xml data type will fail if the XML
number data to xml data type is not well-formed.
Implicit conversions to binary data type If the binary data type is too small for the
produces unexpected results conversion, the leading digits are silently truncated.
Conversion will succeed, but the results will be
wrong.
Converting integers to character data types If the integer is too big for the character
implicitly results in an asterisk (*) instead of the conversion, an asterisk is used in implicit
correct value. conversions.
Best Practices related to using dynamic SQL

Because dynamic SQL is a significant vector of SQL injection attacks, there are a number of steps
you should take. Make no assumptions about the size, type, or content of the data that is
received by your application. For example, you should make the following evaluation:
o How will your application behave if an errant or malicious user enters a 10-
megabyte MPEG file where your application expects a postal code?
o How will your application behave if a DROP TABLE statement is embedded in a text
field?
Test the size and data type of input and enforce appropriate limits. This can help prevent
deliberate buffer overruns.
Never build Transact-SQL statements directly from user input.
Use stored procedures to validate user input.

Never concatenate user input that is not validated. String concatenation is the primary point of
entry for script injection.
Do not accept the following strings in fields from which file names can be constructed: AUX,
CLOCK$, COM1 through COM8, CON, CONFIG$, LPT1 through LPT8, NUL, and PRN.

Question: What is required for a conversion to the XML data type to succeed?
Answer: The data to be converted must result in well-formed XML, or the conversion will fail.
Question: How do you create the root node of a hierarchy?
Answer: Use the GetRoot() function to determine the root level and use the result as the basis for an
INSERT statement to create the root node.
Question: When using a cursor, how do you retrieve the next row in the result set?
Answer: Use the FETCH NEXT command.

Writing Queries Using Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Transact-SQL R-1
Resources
Contents:
Microsoft Learning 2
TechNet and MSDN Content 3
Knowledgebase 9
Communities 10
Books 11
R-2 Writing Queries Using Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Transact-SQL
Microsoft Learning
This section describes various Microsoft Learning programs and offerings.
Microsoft Skills Assessments
Describes the skills assessment options available through Microsoft.
Microsoft Learning
Describes the training options available through Microsoft face-to-face or self-paced.

Microsoft Certification Program
Details how to become a Microsoft Certified Professional, Microsoft Certified Database
Administrators, and more.
Microsoft Learning Support
o To provide comments or feedback about the course, send e-mail to
support@mscourseware.com.
o To ask about the Microsoft Certification Program (MCP), send e-mail to
mcphelp@microsoft.com
TechNet and MSDN Content

This section includes content from TechNet for this course.
Module 1
Chapter 7 - Client/Server Architecture
File-Server vs. Client/Server
Installing SQL Server 2005
SQL Server Overview

Components of the SQL Server Database Engine
Considerations for Installing the SQL Server Database Engine
Databases
Relational Database Components
Relational Databases
Normalization
Identifiers
Using Extended Properties on Database Objects
Deprecated Database Engine Features in SQL Server 2008
Data Types (Transact-SQL)
GRANT (Transact-SQL)
Query Fundamentals
Transact-SQL Syntax Conventions (Transact-SQL)
Transact-SQL Reference (Transact-SQL)
Transact-SQL Variables
Control-of-Flow
Conditional Statement Syntax
GOTO (Transact-SQL)
ELSE (IF...ELSE)
RAISERROR (Transact-SQL)
/*...*/ (Comment) (Transact-SQL)

-- (Comment) (Transact-SQL)
Using Comments
bcp Utility
sqlcmd Utility
Query Tools
Features in SQL Server Management Studio
Developing Solutions and Projects in SQL Server Management Studio
Introducing SQL Server Management Studio

How to: Create New Solutions
Using Solution Explorer
Connect to (import) SQL Server data
Use Microsoft Query to retrieve external data
Module 2
Analyzing a Query
Assigning Result Set Column Names
Checklist for Analyzing Slow-Running Queries
COALESCE (Transact-SQL)
Comparison Operators
Comparison Operators (Transact-SQL)
Derived Column Transformation
Eliminating Duplicates with DISTINCT
IN (Transact-SQL)
ISNULL (Transact-SQL)
LIKE (Transact-SQL)
Logical Operator Precedence

Null Values
NULLIF (Transact-SQL)
Operator Precedence (Transact-SQL)
ORDER BY Clause (Transact-SQL)

Parts of a SELECT Statement
Pattern Matching in Search Conditions
Predicate (Transact-SQL)
Query Fundamentals
Query Performance
Query Tuning Recommendations

Search Condition (Transact-SQL)
SELECT Clause (Transact-SQL)
SELECT Examples (Transact-SQL)
Sorting Rows with ORDER BY
SQL Statement Processing
SUBSTRING (Transact-SQL)
Troubleshooting Queries
Using Sparse Columns
Using Table Aliases
WHERE (Transact-SQL)
Module 3
Summarizing Data
Deterministic and Nondeterministic Functions
Aggregate Functions
COUNT (Transact-SQL)
CREATE AGGREGATE (Transact-SQL)
CLR User-Defined Aggregates
Invoking CLR User-Defined Aggregate Functions
HAVING (Transact-SQL)
GROUPING SETS Equivalents
Over Clause (Transact-SQL)

RANK (Transact-SQL)
DENSE_RANK (Transact-SQL)
ROW_NUMBER (Transact-SQL)
NTILE (Transact-SQL)
SQL Server Overview
Module 4
PRIMARY KEY Constraints
FOREIGN KEY Constraints

Views
Collation Precedence (Transact-SQL)
Module 5
ALL (Transact-SQL)
OME | ANY (Transact-SQL)
Craig Freedman's SQL Server Blog: Scalar Subqueries

table (Transact-SQL)
Module 6
Adding Rows by Using INSERT and SELECT
Changing Data by Using UPDATE
Changing Data by Using the SET Clause
Changing Data by Using the FROM Clause
Changing Data by Using the WHERE Clause
Transactions (Database Engine)
Write-Ahead Transaction Log
Checkpoints and the Active Portion of the Log
BEGIN TRANSACTION (Transact-SQL)

COMMIT TRANSACTION (Transact-SQL)

SET XACT_ABORT (Transact-SQL)
Using TRY...CATCH in Transact-SQL

Isolation Levels in the Database Engine
Nesting Transactions
Module 7
Managing Metadata in SQL Server
Compatibility Views (Transact-SQL)
Viewing Database Metadata
Using XML Data Types
FOR XML Support for String Data Types
Using OPENXML
How to use XQuery to query XML data
Reporting Services Using XML and Web Service Data Sources
Full-Text Search Query Fundamentals
Integrating Full-Text Search and Transact-SQL Predicates
Module 8
SQL Views
User-defined Function Basics
Distributed Queries
Linking Servers
OPENROWSET (Transact-SQL)
sp_addlinkedserver (Transact-SQL)
Module 9
Execution Plans
hierarchyid
DECLARE CURSOR:
Using DEALLOCATE
JOIN Fundamentals
Manipulating Result Sets
Query Fundamentals
Dynamic SQL
sp_executesql
Using sp_executesql
EXECUTE
SQL Injection
SQL Injection Protection
Source Control Basics
Team Foundation Server

Version control with Team Foundation Server
TFS support for SQL Server 2008
Visual SourceSafe 2005
Knowledge Base
This section includes content from Microsoft TechNet and MSDN that provides in-depth discussion on
technical topics related to SQL Server 2008
Knowledge Base
Query Tools
Microsoft
Schema Diagrams for the database can be found here:
http://www.codeplex.com/MSFTDBProdSamples/Wiki/View.aspx?title=AWSchemaDiag&referring
Title=Home
Description of the database normalization basics

Communities
The Professional Association for SQL Server (PASS) is an independent, not-for-profit association, dedicated
to supporting, educating, and promoting the Microsoft SQL Server community. Offering a multitude of
networking channels from local user groups and special interest groups (SIGs) to webcasts and the annual
PASS Summit the largest gathering of SQL Server professionals in the world PASS enables knowledge
sharing, in-depth learning, access to the Microsoft SQL Server team, and the ability to influence the
direction of SQL Server technologies.
For more information and your free membership, visit www.sqlpass.org.
Blogs
Query Processing -- introduction to the blog!
Books
This section describes the various books that may be of use to SQL Server 2008 DBAs.
Introducing Microsoft SQL Server 2008, Microsoft Corporation, Peter DeBetta
Send Us Your Feedback

You can search the Microsoft Knowledge Base for known issues at Microsoft Help and Support before
submitting feedback. Search using either the course number and revision, or the course title.
Note Not all training products will have a Knowledge Base article if that is the case, please ask
your instructor whether or not there are existing error log entries.
Courseware Feedback
Send all courseware feedback to support@mscourseware.com. We truly appreciate your time and effort.
We review every e-mail received and forward the information on to the appropriate team. Unfortunately,
because of volume, we are unable to provide a response but we may use your feedback to improve your
future experience with Microsoft Learning products.
Reporting Errors
When providing feedback, include the training product name and number in the subject line of your e-
mail. When you provide comments or report bugs, please include the following:
Document
Page number or location
Complete description of the error or suggested change
Please provide any details that are necessary to help us verify the issue.
Important All errors and suggestions are evaluated, but only those that are validated are added
to the product Knowledge Base article.

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Question and Answers

SQL Server Components

SQL Server Management Tools

SQL Server Database Engine Components

Considerations for Installing the SQL Server Database Engine

The Normalization Process

SQL Server Database Objects

Overview of Data Types

Categories of SQL Statements

Introduction to Basic T-SQL Syntax

Types of T-SQL Operators

What are T-SQL Functions?

What are T-SQL Variables?

What are T-SQL Expressions?

Structured Exception Handling

Commenting T-SQL Code

An Introduction to SQL Server Management Studio

What is a SQL Server Solution?

Creating SQL Server Solutions

Executing Queries in SQL Server Management Studio

Generating Reports in Microsoft Office Excel

Module Reviews and Takeaways

Answer: Connect to the SQL database from an Excel file.

Best Practices related to a particular technology area in this module

Lab Review Questions and Answers

Question and Answers

Tables with few columns.

Detailed Demo Steps

Retrieve Data by Using the SELECT Statement

Retrieving Columns in a Table

Question and Answers

Filtering Data by Using Logical Operators

Detailed Demo Steps

Retrieve Data by Using the SELECT Statement

Note: Dates are entered as strings with the format of YYYYMMDD.

6. Leave the VM running with SQL Server Management Studio open.

Filtering Data by Using Comparison Operators

Filtering Data by Using String Comparisons

Filtering Data by Using Logical Operators

Retrieving a Range of Values

Retrieving a List of Values

Question and Answers

Demonstration: Using Functions to Work with NULL Values

Detailed Demo Steps

Functions to Work with NULL Values

Question and Answers

Demonstration: Format Result Sets

Detailed Demo Steps

Eliminating Duplicate Rows

Labeling Columns in Result Sets

Assigning Result Set Column Names

Using String Literals

Tips on Creating More Efficient Queries

Solutions for Query Optimization

Module Reviews and Takeaways

Real-world Issues and Scenarios

Use indexed columns in the WHERE clause.

Lab Review Questions and Answers

Question and Answers

Implementing Custom Aggregate Functions

Demonstration: Using Common Aggregate Functions

Answer: The COUNT function.