Database Management Systems
In SQL Server, the BIT_COUNT() function returns the number of bits set to 1 in the given argument, based on the binary equivalent of that argument.
Different values will have a different number of 1s in their binary value. Also, the same value can have a different number of 1s, depending on the data type.
Continue readingWhen we use SQL Server’s GENERATE_SERIES() function to create a series, we provide the start and stop points as numbers. And if we provide the optional step argument, then it’s provided as a number too.
The numbers we provide can be decimal fractions if required. This means that we can create a series made up of decimal fractions. But we still need to ensure that all our arguments are of the same type.
Continue readingIf you’re getting error 8144 with a message that reads “Procedure or function GENERATE_SERIES has too many arguments specified” in SQL Server, it’s because you’re passing too many arguments to the GENERATE_SERIES() function.
The GENERATE_SERIES() function/relational operator accepts a minimum of two arguments, and a maximum of three (at least, this is the case at the time of writing).
So to fix this error, be sure to provide either two arguments or three when using the GENERATE_SERIES() function.
SQL Server 2022 introduced the SET_BIT() function that sets a bit in an integer or binary value (other than a large object).
The function allows us to specify an offset for which to set a bit to 1 or 0.
Many RDBMSs support the concept of named windows – windows that we can reference from within an OVER clause when defining a window function.
For those of us using SQL Server, we had to wait until the release of SQL Server 2022 before we could create named windows for our window functions. But with the release of SQL Server 2022, we now have the option of using named windows in our window functions.
Continue readingIn SQL Server, RIGHT_SHIFT() is a bit manipulation function that returns the first argument bit-shifted right by the number of bits specified in the second argument.
The RIGHT_SHIFT() function was introduced in SQL Server 2022.
If you’re getting SQL Server error msg 9837 that tells you “The date value is less than the minimum date value allowed for the data type…”, it sounds like you’re using the DATETRUNC() function with the week date part on a date that would cause the result to backtrack to a date that’s earlier than the date type supports.
This is a rare error that only occurs when using the week date part with the DATETRUNC() function on a very small number of early dates.
One way to deal with this error would be to use iso_week instead of week, if that’s suitable for your particular situation.
In SQL Server, LEFT_SHIFT() is a bit manipulation function that returns the first argument bit-shifted left by the number of bits specified in the second argument.
The LEFT_SHIFT() function was introduced in SQL Server 2022.
The introduction of the LEAST() and GREATEST() functions in SQL Server 2022 were a welcome addition. These functions enable us to get the minimum or maximum value from a list of values. There are plenty of use cases for these functions.
One such use case is to provide a cap on the values returned by a query.
Continue readingIf you’re getting SQL Server error 402 that reads something like “The data types numeric and numeric are incompatible in the approx_percentile_disc operator“, it’s probably because you’re trying to use the APPROX_PERCENTILE_DISC() function on a column of the wrong data type.
It could be that you’ve simply passed the wrong column, or it could be that the column is the correct one, but it’s of the wrong type.
To fix, be sure that the column/expression is of a supported type.
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