Using a T-SQL Cursor
In this article, I’m going to cover how to use a SQL Cursor, when you should use a SQL Cursor, and when you should not use a SQL Cursor. Basically, a SQL Cursor is a way to loop through a data ...
View ArticleUsing Data Source to Connect with IBM-AS400
Using Data Source to Connect with IBM-AS400 A data source is a connection that represents a simple connection to a data store; it includes all tables and views in the data store. ...
View ArticleLoading a Dimension Table using the Slowly Changing Dimension Wizard
Loading a Dimension Table using the Slowly Changing Dimension Wizard When designing SSIS packages used to build and maintain data warehouses or other application ...
View ArticleNormalization vs. Dimensional Modeling
In the field of database design, normalization is an important topic that many people don’t give much, if any, consideration. Chances are, if you have designed a database, you have probably ...
View ArticleLocal SQL Server Logins
How many of you have been in this situation? Your objective is to create a local SQL server login that has limited access to certain objects in your database. So you create your new login using ...
View ArticleImport and Export Wizard in SSMS -- Step by Step
In this article I will show you how to use the import export wizard in SSMS. This article has two parts – 1. Importing data from an external source(Excel) into the sql ...
View ArticleExcel Data Load Truncation Error
Excel Data Load Truncation Error I came across an interesting issue while a helping a client. He was trying to load an OLE DB source from a excel spreadsheet and there was a ...
View ArticleCopy and paste columns from excel to a sql server table
This article describes an easy way to copy and paste columns from excel to a sqlserver table. The basic requirement for this is the column names in both excel and sql server tables should be the ...
View ArticleEdit/Select Top N Rows in SQL Server Management Studio
Prior to the release of SQL Server Management Studio 2008, a user with appropriate permissions to the database could right click on a table and choose to return all rows for editing (SQL 7) or ...
View ArticleLoading Parameter Values – Hard Way vs Easy Way
There are many ways to do this, but I thought that I would write an article on how to load available values for a drop down list box parameter in reporting services. Let’s say that you wanted to ...
View ArticleGetting Started With DAX in PowerPivot
With PowerPivot in Excel 2010 you will find a fancy new formula language called Data Analysis Expression (DAX). DAX is used for extending what you can do with your PowerPivot data. This new ...
View ArticleDisecting the Self Referencing Hierarchy
There are times when you will have a hierarchy built into a table. This is where the table references itself for the next level. So there is a foreign and primary key ...
View ArticleJoins From A Common Sense Perspective
In preparation for the Pragmatic Works Foundation Class in December, I was searching for information regarding Joins. Seeing the TSQL command is one thing, but being able to have a diagram and ...
View ArticleA Simple Custom Calendar Control
I know what you’re thinking - another four-letter acronym that starts with an S. SCCC. Maybe you weren’t thinking that. Nevertheless, you are thinking about it now. Just kidding, man. Remember ...
View ArticleHandling Complex Text Files in SSIS
One of the challenges when working with flat files in SSIS comes when record types are mixed in a single file. This is a common scenario in health care where often times header and detail records ...
View ArticleMultiple Views in a Single Report
Multiple Views in a Single Report Power View reports now support multiple views per report. The report pictured below contains a total of five views that you can see previews of to the left of ...
View ArticleRepeat table on each page
I have a requirement, I have three different talbles to display in report. First two table consist just one row each and the thrid table would have several rows....Now depending on the number of ...
View ArticleDeploying your package from BIDS
Congratulations, you’ve made a working SSIS package! Now what? Well, you could just sit back and bask in your success, but that might not look so good on your quarterly performance evaluation. My ...
View ArticleFoundation class by PragmaticWorks! Blog Post: #1
My name is Mitchell Pearson and I'm currently in the Foundation class presented by PragmaticWorks. First of all I would like to thank Brian Knight and the team at PragmaticWorks for presenting this ...
View ArticleThe INSTALLSHAREDWOWDIR command line value is not valid.
I was recently making some changes to my laptop setup and installing SQL Server 2008R2 and SQL Server 2012 directly on the computer rather than on my VM. In the case of my setup I had already ...
View ArticleDBA Question of the Day: What Changes have occurred to DBCC CHECKDB in SQL 2012?
As a DBA some of the most interesting features of a new SQL Server Release are the bits that are changed in the code, not necessarily those that are in the marketing brochure. ...
View ArticleCisco VPN Client 5 on Windows 8
NOTE: Always create a backup before doing any type of Windows registry modifications!!!! With the full public release of Windows 8 right around the corner it is inevitable that people will ...
View ArticlePowerPivot 101 Recording Now Available
Thanks to everyone who attended my PowerPivot 101 webinar last Tuesday morning! It was a blast and I had a great time presenting for the 300 strong crowd that attended! In case you missed the ...
View ArticleTaking my talents to ... Malibu Beach, kind of.
I have an exciting announcement to make. Since I have lived in the state of Florida for most of my life, I have decided to make a major change and take my talents to the west coast. Well, at ...
View ArticleGotchas With Referenced Dimensions
A referenced dimension relationship allows us to create a relationship between a measure group and a dimension that is indirectly related to the measure group using an intermediate ...
View ArticleSecure FTP - Check if File Exists on Server
This is what I hope is the first of many blogs on the Task Factory Secure FTP component and the wide range of functionality that is offered. This component is without question one of the most ...
View ArticleSecure FTP – Get List of Files on FTP Server – Iterate through an Object...
Today we are going to address a very common FTP question: "How can I get a list of the files that are on my FTP Server?" In this tutorial we will use the "Get list of files" task and store ...
View ArticleRemove unwanted characters from your data set quickly!
Today I worked with a client who was pulling some data in from a proprietary source and he had two special characters that showed up randomly in one of the columns in his data set. These characters ...
View ArticleMake an SSIS package Delay or Wait for Data
Packages can be scheduled to run at a time when you expect data to be in a database. Instead of guessing the time when the data will be in the database we can have the package look for data in a SQL ...
View ArticleVisual Studio 2012 Error when executing SSIS package in SSDT 2012:
Earlier today I came up when executing a SSIS package on a workstation that recently had SQL Server Data Tools for Visual studio 2012 installed. It says, “Method not found: ...
View ArticlePreparing a Technical Session Part 2: Coming up with a Title
Earlier this month I began a blog series on preparing to do a technical talk. In that first post I discussed some strategies for coming up with a topic, which is ultimately the first step in your ...
View ArticleLooking Out for Others Helps You Lead
I'm sitting on a plane. I'm in an exit row, still a big guy in a little seat. I go to sit down and notice the seat to my left has water on the seat. Not so deep that it is a puddle. ...
View ArticlePreparing a Technical Session Part 3: Writing an Abstract
So you’ve come up with a great idea for a session and now you have to translate that idea into a thorough abstract that helps both organizers and attendees understand what to expect from your ...
View ArticleTop 3 Questions Before Submitting to a SQL Saturday
Hello Dear Reader! We are coming up upon the 9th SQL Saturday for Orlando . Orlando is where SQL Saturday began, and the home to some pretty amazing speakers. We, the SQL Saturday ...
View ArticleChanges are A’comin’!
Over the last couple days you may have noticed some slight changes on my blog. Well believe you me when I say some more are coming! You may be asking yourself, “Self, what are all these changes for? ...
View ArticleMake a Difference as a Thought Leader: A Book Review
If you’ve ever spoken at an event like a SQL Saturday or Code Camp, answered a question on a forum, written a blog post, or helped lead a discussion at your place of work then on some level you ...
View ArticleMDX Monday: Calculate Daily Average Sales
Creating an SSAS MDX calculations for daily average sales is a pretty common requirement I’ve come across as a consultant for Pragmatic Works and as the instructor for Pragmatic Works Introduction ...
View Article