---

[Features]

---

LINQ to Your SQL Server Data
Build efficient queries using LINQ, which is included in Visual Studio 2008.
 — William Sheldon


Sharpen Your Basic SQL Server Skills
Get answers to your questions about SQL Server 2005 Surface Area Configuration tools that can help you protect the SQL Server surface area from security breaches perpetrated by unauthorized users or applications.
 — Pinalkumar Dave


T-SQL101, Lesson 2
Using a database named MyDB, a table named MyTable, and some dummy tables, you can learn how to create T-SQL queries that insert new data, update existing data, and delete old data.
 — Bill McEvoy

---

[Editorial]

---

MySQL: Sun's Billion Dollar Baby
Find out how Sun Technologies' acquisition of MySQL means for the database market.
 — Michael Otey

---

[Reader to Reader]

---

2 Stored Procedures to Tune Your Indexes
If you have to perform a full index analysis, here are two T-SQL stored procedures you can use to get detailed information about the indexes in a single table or an entire database.
 — Bill McEvoy

---

[Inside SQL Server]

---

Further Explorations in Plan-Cache Metadata
Uncover more valuable metadata that can aid you in troubleshooting and performance-tuning your queries.
 — Kalen Delaney

---

[Solutions by Design]

---

Data Warehousing: Horizontally Partitioning the Fact Table
Save yourself from having to deal with large, difficult-to-manage fact tables by partitioning the rows.
 — Michelle A. Poolet

---

[T-SQL Black Belt]

---

Set Operations
Circumvent unsupported logical phases, work around SQL Server 2005’s lack of INTERSECT ALL and EXCEPT ALL, and take advantage of the INTERSECT and EXCEPT operations’ treatment of NULLs.
 — Itzik Ben-Gan

---

[New Products]

---

New Products
Check out new and improved SQL Server-related products from Datanamic Solutions B.V., CNS International, Caber Computing, and Microsoft.
 — Jeff James

---

[SELECT TOP(X)]

---

SQL Server 2008 Webcasts
While SQL Server Magazine can give you info on SQL Server 2008, Microsoft's Webcasts also assist. Here are some links to our favs.
 — Michael Otey

---

[Review]

---

SQL Server Backup Compression Shootout
A SQL Server expert takes a detailed look at three popular SQL Server backup compression tools.
 — Allan Hirt

---

[PTO for the Rest of Us]

---

Dissecting SQL Server’s Top Waits
You know how to collect and report on wait stats. Now, let’s focus on a few wait stats that typically account for most overall system waits.
 — Andrew J. Kelly

---

[Sqlmag.com Community Dialog]

---

Readers Talk Back to Community Dialog
Readers share their thoughts about recent Community Dialogs, and Itzik Ben-Gan helps a reader out by creating a special "lottery" query.
 — Anne Grubb