The caller not being able to see a #temp created by a callee would seem reasonable, like a local variable scoping rule (but not connection related.) I'm not sure that...

Exactly, Gail. Thanks!

And since it sorta of matched what I was trying to do (calling a stored procedure to define the #temp table, and then referencing that #table name farther...

Sergiy -

I'll try to post my example that (I thought) failed tomorrow. Thanks for your interest and comment.

Jeff, once I thought there was at least one more exception to the rule:

"Each new query window creates it's own connection or "session" to the database."

From a multiple statements...

Thanks for the good link, Adam.

I take from it that the bottom line, as in so much in life, is simply:

"It just doesn't matter."

(But another takeaway, which does matter,...

Thanks Kent. Based on Adam's advice, I yanked the "Distinct" from my original query and let the "EXCEPT" take care of that. (With no ill effects.) I would probably have...

"#MyHead "

Thanks Jeff, for this morning's smile...

About "spooky"...

Within SSMS I would use New Query, select my db, and execute:

create table #test1 (PK int)

Then I wold create another query, select my db, and execute:

truncate table #test1

Msg 4701,...

Wonderful Adam, thanks very much!

1. I went back to BOL, and sure enough the word "distinct" occurs in each of the first three lines of text. It is not that...

Thanks Matt. And do come back if you get any inspiration about where elsewhere might be.

Thank you both!

I think I have discovered one reason why temp tables act spooky for me: In the Temp db, the #table name is made unique with a numeric suffix. I think...

Excel provides some wonderful options to get data from SQL Server (or any ODBC compliant source) -- external data source, external query, pivot from external source, etc. Because you can...

Good points George, thanks!

What is recommended in the case where multiple independent dbs owned by unrelated individuals/groups/organizations are sharing the same server, and providing local DBA functions themselves, and wish their dbs to...