Here's another alternative using STUFF and FOR XML PATH that does not require a parameter (I believe this is from an article from SSC. If I could have found the...

This was a great instructional puzzle. I appreciate the corporate knowledge this forum represents. Thanks.

That's a big number. How do you report that on your financials? Numbers represented in $000,000,...,000,000? 😛

It made me do a search on the net for big number names (see...

A good explanation on TRUNCATE vs DELETE can be found at http://www.mssqltips.com/tip.asp?tip=1080.

Yes, the MCTS 70-431 on p605 does say "You cannot create Database Snapshots against system databases." The MSKB at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/920926 does not have any errata for this page...

If using SSMS doesn't SQL drop and recreate the column/table behind the scenes?