Are the posted questions getting worse?

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Are the posted questions getting worse?

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Paul White SSC Guru Points: 150467 More actions · Answer 1

GilaMonster (3/16/2010)
137 - The inverse of the 'fine structure constant'.

...and the 33^rd prime number. Retaining the theme of a, you should probably also use 29 (the 10^th prime) a lot too.

Paul White
SQLPerformance.com
SQLkiwi blog
@SQL_Kiwi

Paul White SSC Guru Points: 150467 More actions · Answer 2

Jeff Moden (3/16/2010)
Heh... I just can't see writing it this way...
DATEADD(DAY, DATEDIFF(DAY, CAST('19000101' AS DATETIME), CURRENT_TIMESTAMP), CAST('19000101' AS DATETIME))

It's not so bad. How about:

SELECT DATEADD(DAY, DATEDIFF(DAY, {d '1900-01-01'}, CURRENT_TIMESTAMP), {d '1900-01-01'})

--or

SELECT DATEADD(DAY, DATEDIFF(DAY, '1900-01-01T00:00:00', CURRENT_TIMESTAMP), '1900-01-01T00:00:00')

Using CAST or CONVERT is not such a bad habit to get into: you have to write dates that way in a function to make it deterministic, for example.

Paul White
SQLPerformance.com
SQLkiwi blog
@SQL_Kiwi

Jeff Moden SSC Guru Points: 1004372 More actions · Answer 3

Paul White (3/16/2010)
GilaMonster (3/16/2010)
137 - The inverse of the 'fine structure constant'.
...and the 33^rd prime number. Retaining the theme of a, you should probably also use 29 (the 10^th prime) a lot too.

I use the number 29 a lot... that's the number of hampster poo pellets it takes to fill the flux capacitor on my DBCC TIMEWARP machine.

--Jeff Moden

RBAR is pronounced "ree-bar" and is a "Modenism" for Row-By-Agonizing-Row.
First step towards the paradigm shift of writing Set Based code:
________Stop thinking about what you want to do to a ROW... think, instead, of what you want to do to a COLUMN.

Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.

Helpful Links:
How to post code problems
How to Post Performance Problems
Create a Tally Function (fnTally)

Jeff Moden SSC Guru Points: 1004372 More actions · Answer 4

29 is also my record for the number of pork chops I've had in the air at the same time. I was pretty ticked that day... 😛

--Jeff Moden

RBAR is pronounced "ree-bar" and is a "Modenism" for Row-By-Agonizing-Row.
First step towards the paradigm shift of writing Set Based code:
________Stop thinking about what you want to do to a ROW... think, instead, of what you want to do to a COLUMN.

Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.

Helpful Links:
How to post code problems
How to Post Performance Problems
Create a Tally Function (fnTally)

Paul White SSC Guru Points: 150467 More actions · Answer 5

Jeff Moden (3/16/2010)
I assume that by "explicit date" you mean something like '1900-01-01'... and that's not a date either... that's a string that looks like a date. 😛

Aside from using CAST or CONVERT, the following produce a DATETIME directly:

SELECT d = {d '1900-01-01'}, -- Date only at midnight

t = {t '00:00:00.000'}, -- Today at midnight

ts = {ts '1900-01-01 00:00:00.000'} -- Full timestamp

Paul White
SQLPerformance.com
SQLkiwi blog
@SQL_Kiwi

Jeff Moden SSC Guru Points: 1004372 More actions · Answer 6

Paul White (3/16/2010)
Jeff Moden (3/16/2010)
I assume that by "explicit date" you mean something like '1900-01-01'... and that's not a date either... that's a string that looks like a date. 😛
Aside from using CAST or CONVERT, the following produce a DATETIME directly:
SELECT d = {d '1900-01-01'}, -- Date only at midnight
t = {t '00:00:00.000'}, -- Today at midnight
ts = {ts '1900-01-01 00:00:00.000'} -- Full timestamp

Very interesting! Apparently, I've been missing out on some good stuff because that works in 2k and 2k5. Keeping in mind that I don't have 2k8, is there a heading in Books Online that I could look under to find out more about such useful shorthand formats such as those above?

--Jeff Moden

RBAR is pronounced "ree-bar" and is a "Modenism" for Row-By-Agonizing-Row.
First step towards the paradigm shift of writing Set Based code:
________Stop thinking about what you want to do to a ROW... think, instead, of what you want to do to a COLUMN.

Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.

Helpful Links:
How to post code problems
How to Post Performance Problems
Create a Tally Function (fnTally)

Paul White SSC Guru Points: 150467 More actions · Answer 7

Jeff Moden (3/16/2010)
Very interesting! Apparently, I've been missing out on some good stuff because that works in 2k and 2k5. Keeping in mind that I don't have 2k8, is there a heading in Books Online that I could look under to find out more about such useful shorthand formats such as those above?

Surely is...ODBC Scalar Functions

Paul White
SQLPerformance.com
SQLkiwi blog
@SQL_Kiwi

Jeff Moden SSC Guru Points: 1004372 More actions · Answer 8

I was just getting ready to post that I sussed it...

ODBC timestamp data in Books Online. Was a real SWAG on my part, too! 🙂

Thanks for the link, Paul... I'll take a look.

--Jeff Moden

RBAR is pronounced "ree-bar" and is a "Modenism" for Row-By-Agonizing-Row.
First step towards the paradigm shift of writing Set Based code:
________Stop thinking about what you want to do to a ROW... think, instead, of what you want to do to a COLUMN.

Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.

Helpful Links:
How to post code problems
How to Post Performance Problems
Create a Tally Function (fnTally)

SQLRNNR SSC Guru Points: 281334 More actions · Answer 9

Paul White (3/16/2010)
Jeff Moden (3/16/2010)
Very interesting! Apparently, I've been missing out on some good stuff because that works in 2k and 2k5. Keeping in mind that I don't have 2k8, is there a heading in Books Online that I could look under to find out more about such useful shorthand formats such as those above?
Surely is...ODBC Scalar Functions

Very interesting.

Thanks for the link.

Jason...AKA CirqueDeSQLeil
_______________________________________________
I have given a name to my pain...MCM SQL Server, MVP
SQL RNNR
Posting Performance Based Questions - Gail Shaw[/url]
Learn Extended Events

Paul White SSC Guru Points: 150467 More actions · Answer 10

Jeff Moden (3/16/2010)
Was a real SWAG on my part, too! 🙂

Scientific wild-*** guess?

Special Warfare Action Group?

Silly wild-*** guess?

Stuff we all get?

Smart wild-*** guess?

Software wild-*** guesstimate?

Sold without a guarantee?

Paul White
SQLPerformance.com
SQLkiwi blog
@SQL_Kiwi

Jeff Moden SSC Guru Points: 1004372 More actions · Answer 11

Paul White (3/16/2010)
Jeff Moden (3/16/2010)
Was a real SWAG on my part, too! 🙂
Scientific wild-*** guess?
Special Warfare Action Group?
Silly wild-*** guess?
Stuff we all get?
Smart wild-*** guess?
Software wild-*** guesstimate?
Sold without a guarantee?

Nah... I turned on the SWAG lamp so I could see my notes. 😛

--Jeff Moden

RBAR is pronounced "ree-bar" and is a "Modenism" for Row-By-Agonizing-Row.
First step towards the paradigm shift of writing Set Based code:
________Stop thinking about what you want to do to a ROW... think, instead, of what you want to do to a COLUMN.

Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.

Helpful Links:
How to post code problems
How to Post Performance Problems
Create a Tally Function (fnTally)

Jeff Moden SSC Guru Points: 1004372 More actions · Answer 12

Most of the ODBC Scalar functions have direct equivalents in T-SQL. But... this one is very interesting...

SELECT d = {fn CURRENT_DATE()}

I've gotta see if I can find more goodies like that...

--Jeff Moden

RBAR is pronounced "ree-bar" and is a "Modenism" for Row-By-Agonizing-Row.
First step towards the paradigm shift of writing Set Based code:
________Stop thinking about what you want to do to a ROW... think, instead, of what you want to do to a COLUMN.

Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.

Helpful Links:
How to post code problems
How to Post Performance Problems
Create a Tally Function (fnTally)

Paul White SSC Guru Points: 150467 More actions · Answer 13

Jeff Moden (3/16/2010)
Most of the ODBC Scalar functions have direct equivalents in T-SQL. But... this one is very interesting...
SELECT d = {fn CURRENT_DATE()}

Yes. Mentioned it a few posts back - it unfortunately uses string conversion from getdate(), using the undocumented style '23'.

{t ''00:00:00.000} is nice for getting midnight today.

Paul White
SQLPerformance.com
SQLkiwi blog
@SQL_Kiwi

Jeff Moden SSC Guru Points: 1004372 More actions · Answer 14

Now that you mention it, I remember that post. That was before I turned on the SWAG light, though. :hehe:

--Jeff Moden

RBAR is pronounced "ree-bar" and is a "Modenism" for Row-By-Agonizing-Row.
First step towards the paradigm shift of writing Set Based code:
________Stop thinking about what you want to do to a ROW... think, instead, of what you want to do to a COLUMN.

Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.

Helpful Links:
How to post code problems
How to Post Performance Problems
Create a Tally Function (fnTally)

Grant Fritchey SSC Guru Points: 398890 More actions · Answer 15

john.arnott (3/16/2010)
Paul White (3/12/2010)
Jeff Moden (3/12/2010)
We're rootin' for ya!
* snigger *
See the entry for root here
And when you go to London, do you wear a fanny-pack? (Hey. He started it....)

Oooh. Don't say fanny-pack in England. I already made that mistake.

"The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood"
- Theodore Roosevelt

Author of:
SQL Server Execution Plans
SQL Server Query Performance Tuning