Blogs from Wise Owl on SQL programming in SQL

What is SQLCMD mode, and how can you use it?

Posted by Andy Brown on 24 November 2021

You can use SQLCMD mode to parameterise the connection, database name, table name and select columns for a query - and much more besides, as this blog explains.

Introducing the new CREATE OR ALTER command in SQL

Posted by Andy Brown on 10 January 2020

From SQL Server 2016 onwards you can choose to CREATE OR ALTER a procedure, trigger, view or function, as this blog explains.

Loops in SQL

Posted by Andrew Gould on 18 February 2013

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!

Writing IF and ELSE conditions in SQL

Posted by Andy Brown on 29 January 2013

You can use the IF statement to test conditions in SQL - this blog explains how, and also explains why you might prefer to use CASE WHEN instead.

Using @@rowcount and other global variables

Posted by Andy Brown on 28 January 2013

SQL comes complete with a few useful global variables, giving you information such as the row number of the record just inserted, or the number of rows affected by a query. Here's how to use them!

Declaring and using SQL variables

Posted by Andy Brown on 03 January 2013

Variables in SQL always begin with @, and allow you to program more efficiently. Learn the tips and tricks in this short series of blogs!

Changing Settings in SQL Server Management Studio

Posted by Andrew Gould on 16 February 2012

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.