Evaluating the Randomness of SQL Server Random Number Functions

Microsoft provides T-SQL developers with three functions (rand, newid, and crypt_gen_random) for generating random numbers. Each of these functions is effective at returning random values, but feature sets associated with each function make them best suited to different use cases. This tip’s Solution section presents an overview of common use cases for random numbers in SQL Server along with references to learn more about random numbers in SQL Server.

The Random Rows

Random Word Generation for Data Scrubbing

With HIPAA and GDPR requiring your careful scrubbing of data for lower environments, random word generation promises to be a huge helper. Read here how to do it.

RANDom traps for the unwary

The Books Online description of the RAND() function is only true from certain perspectives.