Book Image

Learn T-SQL Querying - Second Edition

By : Pedro Lopes, Pam Lahoud
Book Image

Learn T-SQL Querying - Second Edition

By: Pedro Lopes, Pam Lahoud

Overview of this book

Data professionals seeking to excel in Transact-SQL (T-SQL) for Microsoft SQL Server and Azure SQL Database often lack comprehensive resources. This updated second edition of Learn T-SQL Querying focuses on indexing queries and crafting elegant T-SQL code, catering to all data professionals seeking mastery in modern SQL Server versions and Azure SQL Database. Starting with query processing fundamentals, this book lays a solid foundation for writing performant T-SQL queries. You’ll explore the mechanics of the Query Optimizer and Query Execution Plans, learning how to analyze execution plans for insights into current performance and scalability. Through dynamic management views (DMVs) and dynamic management functions (DMFs), you’ll build diagnostic queries. This book thoroughly covers indexing for T-SQL performance and provides insights into SQL Server’s built-in tools for expedited resolution of query performance and scalability issues. Further, hands-on examples will guide you through implementing features such as avoiding UDF pitfalls, understanding predicate SARGability, Query Store, and Query Tuning Assistant. By the end of this book, you‘ll have developed the ability to identify query performance bottlenecks, recognize anti-patterns, and skillfully avoid such pitfalls.
Table of Contents (18 chapters)
1
Part 1: Query Processing Fundamentals
4
Part 2: Dos and Don’ts of T-SQL
9
Part 3: Assembling Our Query Troubleshooting Toolbox

NULL means unknown

In the context of a database, if a column is set to NULL, it effectively means that the value is unknown. If we compare any other value with NULL, the result of that comparison is also unknown. In other words, a value can never be equal to NULL, as NULL is the absence of a value. This means the expression ColumnValue = NULL will never evaluate to true or false; even if ColumnValue is in fact NULL, it will always evaluate to unknown. To detect if a column value is NULL, we must use the special expressions IS NULL or IS NOT NULL rather than = or <>.

Note

This handling of NULL is not unique to the SQL Database Engine, it is based on the ANSI standard handling of NULL values.

Having NULL values in our database is not an anti-pattern in and of itself, but when we assign a meaning to the value NULL in our application, we may face some challenges when it comes to writing performant T-SQL due to the need for special handling of NULL comparisons.

Let’...