CONVERT function

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CONVERT function

Ron McCullough

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January 12, 2011 at 8:30 pm

#233134

Comments posted to this topic are about the item CONVERT function
If everything seems to be going well, you have obviously overlooked something.
Ron

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January 13, 2011 at 2:07 am

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lukus_g SSC Eights! Points: 958 More actions · Answer 1

good question! i recall them adding some new functionality to convert in 2k8 but had to research what that was 🙂

Koen Verbeeck SSC Guru Points: 259105 More actions · Answer 2

Great, but difficult question.

I had to read the section on converting binary string data on the MSDN page for CAST and CONVERT a few times to get it.

But only 1 point? It deserves a lot more...

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My blog at https://sqlkover.com.
MCSE Business Intelligence - Microsoft Data Platform MVP

Christian Buettner-167247 SSChampion Points: 13729 More actions · Answer 3

Koen (da-zero) (1/13/2011)
Great, but difficult question.
I had to read the section on converting binary string data on the MSDN page for CAST and CONVERT a few times to get it.
But only 1 point? It deserves a lot more...

I also had trouble reading the MSDN page. Felt like the documentation was written in binary numbers and. Somewhat unstructured, just a collection of a lot of facts.

Very good QOTD!

Best Regards,

Chris Büttner

anders-731262 Ten Centuries Points: 1256 More actions · Answer 4

Thanks.

Deserves more than 1 point (as do most of the multichoice questions).

Hugo Kornelis SSC Guru Points: 64790 More actions · Answer 5

I thought I had a pretty grasp of everything that was changed in SQL Server 2008, but I somehow completely missed this one. A nice small change that answers a question I've seen asked in newsgroups and forums several time already.

I'm glad I decided to research the issue first and not answer only from memory!

Thanks, Ron!

Hugo Kornelis, SQL Server/Data Platform MVP (2006-2016)
Visit my SQL Server blog: https://sqlserverfast.com/blog/
SQL Server Execution Plan Reference: https://sqlserverfast.com/epr/

Toreador SSChampion Points: 11365 More actions · Answer 6

Didn't know what the style values were for varchar conversions so looked it up in BOL. Puzzled out the rather confusing description, and duly got it wrong, as there's nothing in that opage to say the functionality is new in 2008 🙁

Presumably 2005 BOL are available online somewhere? I only have 2008 installed so don't have the files locally.

Hugo Kornelis SSC Guru Points: 64790 More actions · Answer 7

Toreador (1/13/2011)
Presumably 2005 BOL are available online somewhere?

Yes. Easily found through Google or Bing.

And most online BOL pages include cross-links to earlier and/or later versions of the same topic.

Hugo Kornelis, SQL Server/Data Platform MVP (2006-2016)
Visit my SQL Server blog: https://sqlserverfast.com/blog/
SQL Server Execution Plan Reference: https://sqlserverfast.com/epr/

Toreador SSChampion Points: 11365 More actions · Answer 8

Hugo Kornelis (1/13/2011)
And most online BOL pages include cross-links to earlier and/or later versions of the same topic.

The SQl2008 "Cast and Convert" topic doesn't ;(

Hugo Kornelis SSC Guru Points: 64790 More actions · Answer 9

Toreador (1/13/2011)
Hugo Kornelis (1/13/2011)
And most online BOL pages include cross-links to earlier and/or later versions of the same topic.
The SQl2008 "Cast and Convert" topic doesn't ;(

Actually, it does. I used http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms187928%28v=SQL.100%29.aspx and at the top of the page, right below the title, there is the text "SQL Server 2008", and next to that "Other versions" - which, when clicked, reveals a dropdown with links to the versions for SQL2005, SQL2008R2, and Denali.

EDIT: I experimented a bit more, and found that this depends on the chosen view to peruse BOL content.

In the "lightweight" view, links are included as described above.

In the "classic" view, there is a box near the upper right corner, that includes links to OLDER versions, but not to NEWER versions.

And in the "script-free" view, the links either don't exist, or are hidden so well that I failed to find them.

Hugo Kornelis, SQL Server/Data Platform MVP (2006-2016)
Visit my SQL Server blog: https://sqlserverfast.com/blog/
SQL Server Execution Plan Reference: https://sqlserverfast.com/epr/

Toreador SSChampion Points: 11365 More actions · Answer 10

I use the one that is invoked by pressing F1 in SSMS

ms-help://MS.SQLCC.v10/MS.SQLSVR.v10.en/s10de_6tsql/html/a87d0850-c670-4720-9ad5-6f5a22343ea8.htm#seeAlsoSection

No links that I can see. Maybe I'll switch to using the interweb version.

Koen Verbeeck SSC Guru Points: 259105 More actions · Answer 11

Toreador (1/13/2011)
I use the one that is invoked by pressing F1 in SSMS
ms-help://MS.SQLCC.v10/MS.SQLSVR.v10.en/s10de_6tsql/html/a87d0850-c670-4720-9ad5-6f5a22343ea8.htm#seeAlsoSection
No links that I can see. Maybe I'll switch to using the interweb version.

In the Help window you probably won't see the links.

It is on the MSDN pages online that you can find the links to previous versions (usually down to SQL Server 2005)

Need an answer? No, you need a question
My blog at https://sqlkover.com.
MCSE Business Intelligence - Microsoft Data Platform MVP

Hugo Kornelis SSC Guru Points: 64790 More actions · Answer 12

Exactly. That's why I wrote: "most online BOL pages include cross-links". Maybe I should have emphasized the "online" in my earlier reply, and not just here 😀

Hugo Kornelis, SQL Server/Data Platform MVP (2006-2016)
Visit my SQL Server blog: https://sqlserverfast.com/blog/
SQL Server Execution Plan Reference: https://sqlserverfast.com/epr/

Toreador SSChampion Points: 11365 More actions · Answer 13

You mean I was supposed to read all the words in your reply?!