Vardecimal

  • Poorly worded on my part. Points awarded back and question reworded.

  • OK OK, I'll stow the torch and the pitchfork.

  • Jacob Wilkins (5/10/2016)


    Wayne West (5/10/2016)


    I found it very interesting reading up on Vardecimal. The systems that I typically use rarely use decimal, much less a large number of such fields that could benefit from enabling this feature, so I've never used it. I wonder why it was removed from '16, possibly it wasn't being used very much?

    I hadn't seen anything about that yet. Is it actually removed?

    I thought it was still just deprecated. The documentation seems to support that (although goodness knows trusting MS documentation is a lottery).

    Cheers!

    I misspoke. Toreador on the previous page said it was deprecated in '16, that doesn't mean it's going away immediately. I haven't seen anything specific about it.

    I find Microsoft documentation, at least for SQL Server, to be pretty good. Their Office docs, on the other hand, roundly suck IMO. A week ago Microsoft announced[/url] that it was sort of open-sourcing TechNet so that anyone can make comments and edits on pages. It's not quite a wiki, I guess it's a more sophisticated Disqus system? It'll be interesting to see what it turns in to.

    -----
    [font="Arial"]Knowledge is of two kinds. We know a subject ourselves or we know where we can find information upon it. --Samuel Johnson[/font]

  • Not a very good question.

    If I understand the documentation correctly, the answer described as correct is correct only for SQL Server 2005, but the question specifically states that it's about SQL Server 2014. In SQL Server 2014 vardecimal storage is automatically enabled at the database level for user databases, and can't be switched off, so there's no need to switch it on at the database level for a user database. (It's OFF by default for system databases and can't be switched on.) It is OFF by default at the table level, so if someone actually wants to use this deprecated feature they have to switch it ON at table level.

    So there isn't actually any correct answer (for SQL Server 2014) available amongst the options provided.

    So I chose the option that fits SQL Server 2005 on the theory that someone had been looking at out-of-date documentation, and that got me the point. The explanation's first reference is to a data-engine blog page written nine and a half years ago, confirming that theory. The second reference in the explanation points out that from 2008 onwards sp_db_vardecimal_storage_format can't be used to change anything, contradicting the first reference.

    Tom

  • Steve Jones - SSC Editor (5/10/2016)


    Poorly worded on my part. Points awarded back and question reworded.

    It's still wrong. See my earlier comment. In SQL Server 2014, there's no such thing as enabling this at database level - it's ON for user databases and can't be switched off, and OFF for system databases and can't be switched on. The sp that used to switch it can now (in sql 2008 and onwards) only report status.

    Tom

  • TomThomson (5/11/2016)


    Steve Jones - SSC Editor (5/10/2016)


    Poorly worded on my part. Points awarded back and question reworded.

    It's still wrong. See my earlier comment. In SQL Server 2014, there's no such thing as enabling this at database level - it's ON for user databases and can't be switched off, and OFF for system databases and can't be switched on. The sp that used to switch it can now (in sql 2008 and onwards) only report status.

    I admire your thoroughness and its exact logic in solving this question.:-)

    Sincerely G.V.

  • Toreador (5/10/2016)


    It's also deprecated in SQL2016...

    What? I've never used it and it's already going away? Maybe that's why.

  • Iwas Bornready (5/11/2016)


    Toreador (5/10/2016)


    It's also deprecated in SQL2016...

    What? I've never used it and it's already going away? Maybe that's why.

    😎

  • You are correct, Tom. My mistake. The option is still there, but doesn't do anything 2008+. I'll award back points for everyone to now, and alter the question to be SQL 2005 only. It will live as an archive one.

  • Steve Jones - SSC Editor (5/12/2016)


    You are correct, Tom. My mistake. The option is still there, but doesn't do anything 2008+. I'll award back points for everyone to now, and alter the question to be SQL 2005 only. It will live as an archive one.

    +1

    Jason...AKA CirqueDeSQLeil
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