evaluate the length of the original string.

create a temp variable with all spaces removed/replaced with null from the original content.

evaluate the length of the temp string.

the difference + 1 is the...

Remember LAST is RELATIVE to some IDENTIFIABLE and PREDICATABLE ORDER on your data...the key is the ORDER BY clause.

This may be shorter/faster?

SELECT TOP...

1.  in the code posted you are not writing to 2 different tables.

2. try to stay away from cursors....(bad, bad, bad...search here for reasons why this is true 99.99% of...

Rather than thinking and approaching the problem in a row-by-row mindset, describe the full problem, including sample input and output data and we may be able to educate you in...

"similarityfunction("something", column1) > 0.8"....I think "build your own SQL function" unfortunately will be the standard response. 

The client 'needs' sound fine in theory.....but work through some sample data with them and then see what do they really want.  I suspect the reconciliation department that will eventually...

Can you not write your own code to read the registry and make it into a DLL?  One that would not return an error, or at least a less severe error, if an...

Why not convert all your time-based data to one base-date/time.

Surely going international doesn't mean you need to store multi-time zones...(if this was the case most large USA companies would have...

"Maybe you're lucky and the network guys migrated some accounts and filled the sidhistory already".

Maybe you're even luckier and the Network guys have saved you the bother and tendered their...

On our team - manual, with test cases specified and controlled by an independant Test Lead.  Elsewhere in the company, some automation via scripts does take place....but in a very...

Problem could be your 'connection' type/ recordset type as defined within you application.  Can you post the relevent 'calling' code, SQL/SP and an execution plan?

Rename the database out of the way, and let the application fail and any concerned user will log the failure with your helpdesk (prime the helpdesk 1st!).  We did something...

If your coding practice is "SELECT * FROM X" then the columns won't come back in the order you may expect....which is 1 good reason either to avoid moving columns...

I work in an IT role in a Major Bank in Ireland, and everybody in the company can avail of company funded training, provided it is appropriate for the job,...

Hmmmm....Nearly as smart as a late-night, unscheduled, unauthorised system-disk optimisation performed many years ago using sophisticated compression software by an unnamed individual who also loaded the compression software inside the compressed file and then...