I spent about an hour that I can never get back today tracking down a problem with a stored procedure I was writing.  The SP was a simple SAVE SP, with a test for existance of a row, and then an INSERT or UPDATE.  The error message (in all the tools I have) was an unhelpful SQL Syntax Error or Access Violation (Error 42000). In the...

I spent about an hour that I can never get back today tracking down a problem with a stored procedure I was writing.  The SP was a simple SAVE SP, with a test for existance of a row, and then an INSERT or UPDATE.  The error message (in all the tools I have) was an unhelpful SQL Syntax Error or Access Violation (Error 42000). In the...

This week, Wally McClure is the Database Geek of the Week on www.simple-talk.com.  You can see the full interview here.  Wally has just completed a new book on ADO.NET 2.0.   You can see the cover (though not order it just yet) here. I have known Wally for a number of years, and while of course his technical expertise stands...

This week, Wally McClure is the Database Geek of the Week on www.simple-talk.com.  You can see the full interview here.  Wally has just completed a new book on ADO.NET 2.0.   You can see the cover (though not order it just yet) here. I have known Wally for a number of years, and while of course his technical expertise stands...

Hilary is an expert in SQL Server replication, and he has written an entire book on the topic.  This is an area that I wish I was better at managing, and an area I am certain will continue to grow quite a bit, as data needs to be everywhere, and that will require solid replication.  As I write this, I am at the Microsoft Mobile and...

Hilary is an expert in SQL Server replication, and he has written an entire book on the topic.  This is an area that I wish I was better at managing, and an area I am certain will continue to grow quite a bit, as data needs to be everywhere, and that will require solid replication.  As I write this, I am at the Microsoft Mobile and...

I have been at a conference this week, and so have been placing my laptop on standby rather than shutting down each time.  I also have 2 clients with incompatible VPN software.  The software is so incompatible that they cannot be installed on the same OS and actually work. So, I needed to get to the other client's VPN, so I put the...

I have been at a conference this week, and so have been placing my laptop on standby rather than shutting down each time.  I also have 2 clients with incompatible VPN software.  The software is so incompatible that they cannot be installed on the same OS and actually work. So, I needed to get to the other client's VPN, so I put the...

I do not know Euan Garden personally, however he clearly fits the requirements of being a Database Geek of the Week.  He works for Microsoft on SQL Tools, and has some really great insights into the changes to the tools in SQL Server 2005 here in an interview I did with him recently.  In addition to the SQL Server we are all aware of,...

I have been using an old clickety IBM keyboard for at least a dozen years.  I believe it has survived through perhaps 4 or 5 PCs.  Suddenly, the other day, it just stopped working.  When I powered off the machine, reset the connector, and powered it back on, I got nothing but beeping.  I had to admit that this was...

I have been using an old clickety IBM keyboard for at least a dozen years.  I believe it has survived through perhaps 4 or 5 PCs.  Suddenly, the other day, it just stopped working.  When I powered off the machine, reset the connector, and powered it back on, I got nothing but beeping.  I had to admit that this was...

Ken Henderson is the latest Database Geek of the Week.  Ken is a really amazing author, who has that rare blend of SQL knowledge and understanding of Win32 at a very deep level.  If you have not read his Guru's Guide to SQL Server Architecture and Internals and you care about understanding how SQL Server works, this is a book to get.

Ken Henderson is the latest Database Geek of the Week.  Ken is a really amazing author, who has that rare blend of SQL knowledge and understanding of Win32 at a very deep level.  If you have not read his Guru's Guide to SQL Server Architecture and Internals and you care about understanding how SQL Server works, this is a book to get.

Jim Kyle is a man I have known by reputation for many years, and later from personal contacts (sporadic since I moved away for developing Btrieve/Pervasive SQL applications).  Jim has written a large number of books, and in addition to computers, has written in magazines such as Mechanix Illustrated, Popular Electronics and 73...

Jim Kyle is a man I have known by reputation for many years, and later from personal contacts (sporadic since I moved away for developing Btrieve/Pervasive SQL applications).  Jim has written a large number of books, and in addition to computers, has written in magazines such as Mechanix Illustrated, Popular Electronics and 73...