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[Focus]

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Performance Secrets for SQL Server Developers
Avoid 10 common developer pitfalls with a little preparation.
 — Michael K. Campbell

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[Features]

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Generate a Clickthrough Report using Visual Studio ReportViewer
See how you can set up a clickthrough report without using SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS).
 — William Vaughn


Server 2008 Data Profiling
Learn how to use SQL Server 2008's Data Profiling task and Data Profile Viewer to examine and assess your data.
 — Derek Comingore


T-SQL 101, Lesson 5
Understand the differences between inner, outer, and cross joins before you use them in your queries.
 — Bill McEvoy

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[Editorial]

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Virtualizing SQL Server with VMware or Hyper-V
Tests of server virtualization products VMware ESX Server 3.5 and Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V, plus SQL Server running four virtual machines (VMs) indicate that SQL Server running in a VM is ready to handle production workloads.
 — Michael Otey

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[Reader to Reader]

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Nifty Ways to Use FOR XML PATH Concatenation
No temporary tables or table variables are needed to perform FOR XML PATH concatenation, so the resulting query is not only fast but also high performing.
 — Readers

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[Solutions by Design]

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Many-to-Many Relationships in the Data Warehouse
Learn how to model your database to support both market basket and affinity analysis.
 — Michelle A. Poolet

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[T-SQL Black Belt]

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HierarchyID
Use SQL Server 2008’s new data type to maintain and query hierarchical data.
 — Itzik Ben-Gan

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[Letters]

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A Misfire in Backup Compression Shootout?
A reader disagrees with comparative review's findings.
 — Editors

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[New Products]

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New Products
Check out new and improved SQL Server–related products from Data Dynamics, iT-Workplace, AVIcode, ApexSQL, and Thomas Smyczek.
 — Jeff James

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[SELECT TOP(X)]

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SQL Server Compact Edition FAQs
SQL Server Compact Edition 3.5 is Microsoft’s smallest full relational database—check out these FAQs to learn more.
 — Michael Otey

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[Review]

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Virtualization Shootout: Hyper-V vs. ESX Server 3.5
Find out how these two virtualization products compare in architecture, performance, and price.
 — Michael Otey

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[PTO for the Rest of Us]

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Rebuild Only the Indexes that Need Help
Avoid re-indexing pandemonium by using the rebuild_indexes_by_db stored procedure to tackle only indexes that actually need help.
 — Andrew J. Kelly

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[Sqlmag.com Community Dialog]

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What Do SQL Server Magazine Readers Want?
An informal poll shows that SQL Mag readers prefer quality over quantity of articles—and would rather not pay more for a larger magazine.
 — Anne Grubb