In a previous blog on new features of SQL 2012, I missed out the ability to insert code snippets, and also to embed or surround code in an IF, BEGIN or WHILE block. This blog rectifies this!

SQL 2012 has 14 new functions, a new FileTable construct and new ways to sequence and fetch records - as this blog explains.

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.

This blog is part of a complete SQL Server tutorial.

Designing relational databases is easy once you learn the few basic rules, and the procedure is identical whether you're using SQL Server or Access. This blog illuminates the subject!

This blog is part of our tutorial on writing SQL.

If you frequently import data into a SQL Server database from the same source you'll probably be sick of going through the import wizard again and again. So why not learn how to schedule an automatic import of your data using SSIS packages and the SQL Server Agent? This blog explains how to do exactly that!

This blog explains how you can get access to all of the records in a SQL Server 2008 table when you try to edit them, rather than just the top 200.

A common requirement in SQL queries is calculating a person's age. The expression you need to do this accurately is relatively long, so why not replace it with a user-defined function? This blog shows you how!

This blog is part of our complete SQL Tutorial.

If you've spent time in the SQL Server Management Studio application you'll probably have noticed that it's not the most user-friendly environment for writing SQL queries. This blog explains how to change a few settings to make your query writing just a little easier.

You can find many more articles like this in our complete SQL tutorial.

This article provides a comprehensive tutorial in Microsoft SQL Server, taking you from the basics of writing SELECT statements all the way through to creating complex stored procedures.

Dates and times can be the most frustrating data types to work with in SQL Server. Learn everything you need to know about the way dates work with this handy blog series and enjoy happier times!

This blog is part of a larger tutorial on SQL Server, which you can read here.

This blog gives training on writing CTEs in SQL, or Common Table Expressions to give them their full title. The blog also includes a section on creating recursive CTEs.

You can find many more articles like this on our SQL tutorial page.

If you want training in how to use temporary tables in SQL, read on! This blog shows how to create temporary tables and how to drop them safely whether or not they exist. Finally, the blog lists the pros and cons of using temporary tables in SQL.

This article is part of a complete SQL tutorial.

Adding a first or default item to a list control which gets its data from a table can be tricky. This blog gives an elegant solution using UNION queries, which works equally well for ASP.NET dropdown controls, Windows Forms dropdowns or Access combo boxes.

When you try to view data for a table in an Access project with an ADP extension, Access can throw a wobbly. Here's why!