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[Focus]

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Bridging the Gap
Transferring data between SQL Server and other platforms such as the AS/400 isn't as tricky as it seems-- as long as you use DTS.
 — Michael Otey


The Direct Connection
Many businesses run SQL Server and Oracle side by side but independently. Here's how you can open a dialog between the two and really get the information flowing.
 — Michael Otey

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[SQL Server Savvy]

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Check UDP Port 1434
Many people forget that UDP port 1434 needs to be open to ensure that you can correctly access and browse names instances.
 — Brian Moran


Shorten Your Sampling Interval for Performance Monitor
You can't observe the performance of your system without affecting the system's performance so make sure you understand the impact that you're having, that the impact is reasonable, and it isn't excessively skewing your results.
 — Brian Moran


When Datetime Data Types Behave Strangely
Be careful when you're handling dates in SQL Server and make sure you understand how SQL Server handles date value comparisons so that your code is prepared.
 — Brian Moran

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[Editorial]

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Coding Defensively
One of the most dangerous system attacks--SQL Injection--is code-based, and defending against it falls squarely on the application developer's shoulders.
 — Michael Otey

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[SQL Seven]

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The New Visual Studio .NET
Here are seven important features for database developers in Visual Studio .NET 2003.
 — Michael Otey

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[Inside SQL Server]

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Text in Row Internals
See what's going on inside your large data object storage.
 — Kalen Delaney

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[Mastering Analysis]

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Alternative Aggregations
Analysis Services natively supports many aggregation types, but sometimes you need to perform an aggregation that native types can't handle. Here are some ways you can use non-native aggregation types to solve real-life calculation problems.
 — Russ Whitney

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[Solutions by Design]

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Web-Host Invoicing
In a goods-and-services business, a complicated database structure can make customer invoicing harder than it has to be. Here’s a real-life example of how a simpler architecture makes it easier to serve customers.
 — Michelle A. Poolet

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[T-SQL Black Belt]

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Calculating Concurrent Sessions
Can a cursor really out-perform a set-based solution? Put your skills to the test in calculating maximum concurrent sessions.
 — Itzik Ben-Gan

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[Answers from Microsoft]

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Deleting Spaces in a SQL Server 6.5 Char Column
A sample script shows how to remove extraneous spaces from a char column.
 — Microsoft's SQL Server Development Team


Importing Word Documents into SQL Server
Microsoft's SQL Server development team explains how to import Word documents into SQL Server, then index them.
 — Microsoft's SQL Server Development Team

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[Letters]

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Letters, March 2003
Readers offer a different way to gather database space-usage statistics and ask about advantages of moving metadata from tables to extended properties.
 — Various Authors

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[New Products]

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New Products, March 2003
Check out the latest SQL Server-related new and improved products.
 — Carolyn Mader