This blog teaches you how to modify existing data in your database by either deleting records or updating them.

This blog teaches you how to return values from your SQL stored procedures using two different techniques: return codes, and output parameters.

If you're using shared datasets to populate subreports in Reporting Services you might have encountered an error when you preview your reports. This short blog explains what the problem is and offers a few simple suggestions to work around the issue.

Dynamic SQL is a technique for building valid SQL statements from separate pieces of text. You can use this technique to create remarkably flexible and useful queries, as long as you're aware of the potential danger of SQL injection attacks.

A derived table is a technique for creating a temporary set of records which can be used within another query in SQL. You can use derived tables to shorten long queries, or even just to break a complex process into logical steps.

Cursors allow you to step through a set of data one record at a time. They’re not the quickest tool in SQL Server’s box, but they have their uses and this blog explains how they work.

Many programming languages feature a variety of types of loop which allow your programs to repeat a set of instructions multiple times. In SQL there is only one type of loop, and this blog explains how it works!

While SQL Server Management Studio is a powerful tool for writing queries, it has absolutely no concessions towards making the results of those queries remotely presentable! This blog describes several techniques for getting the results of a query into another application so that you can format them to your heart’s content.

If you have a calculation that you frequently use in SQL queries you're probably bored of writing out the same code time after time. Why not try creating a user-defined function to save you the hassle? This blog teaches you how to define your own custom functions, including how to use input parameters, how to alter a function after you've created it, and even how to use fancy programming techniques such as variables and IF statements to help structure complex sequences of calculations.

If you’ve been writing SQL queries for a while you’re probably fairly confident with writing single SELECT statements to return a set of records. If you’re ready for a bit more of a challenge, this blog will teach you how to nest one SELECT statement inside another in order to create a subquery. If you’re thinking “that sounds simple enough” then you might want to read to the end of this series, where we’ll attempt to melt your brain by explaining correlated subqueries!

When you write queries in SQL it's immensely useful to be able to show records matching criteria that you've set. You can do this using the WHERE clause and this blog teaches you how to use it!

If your SQL queries return lots of records you'll probably want to sort the results in some kind of order. This blog teaches you how to use the ORDER BY clause to do exactly that!

This blog teaches the absolute basics of writing queries in Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio. You'll learn how to use the SELECT and FROM keywords to create simple queries showing all of the records from a single table.

Microsoft Visio lets you create far more than simple static diagrams. In this blog series we show you how to use Shape Data and the ShapeSheet to create a dynamic shape that will change its dimensions when you choose a value from a drop down list.

This follow-up article to a previous blog describes how to label the data points in multiple series in Excel using VBA.

Unfortunately, Reporting Services doesn't have a simple setting that allows you to control the number of rows you see on each page. However, you can control this using a clever combination of an expression with a grouping level. Read this blog to find out how!

Before you get into writing SQL Queries you should take some time to familiarise yourself with the application in which you'll be spending most of your time. This blog shows you the basics of SQL Server Management Studio.

Creating a digital certificate for your VBA projects is easy, but deleting them is somewhat less obvious. This blog shows you how to use the certificate manager to remove certificates that you no longer need.

Understanding macro security is essential if you want the code you've written to run when it's supposed to, and at the same time protect yourself from potentially malicious code. This blog explains how to change your security settings to an appropriate level and discusses the ins and outs of digital certification.

You can't do much in Microsoft Project without understanding how calendars work. Calendars control when work is allowed to happen, so it's important to set them up properly before you start planning your tasks. This blog teaches you how.