In SQL Server, the CUME_DIST() function calculates and returns the cumulative distribution of a value within a group of values. This is the relative position of a specified value in a group of values.
Category: SQL Server
Fix Error 6358 “…is not a valid style number when converting to XML” in SQL Server
If you’re getting error msg 6358 which reads something like 300 is not a valid style number when converting to XML, it’s probably because you’re trying to convert a value to XML, but the style that you’re specifying isn’t supported for conversions to that data type.
It’s not that the conversion can’t happen, it’s just that it can’t happen using the style that you’re specifying.
Continue readingFix Error Msg 6855 “Inline schema is not supported with FOR XML PATH” in SQL Server
If you’re getting error Msg 6855 in SQL Server that reads “Inline schema is not supported with FOR XML PATH“, it’s because you’re trying to add an inline schema to an XML document that you’re generating using PATH mode with the FOR XML clause.
As the message alludes to, PATH mode doesn’t support the ability to create an inline schema when using the FOR XML clause.
To fix this issue, either use a different mode to generate the XML with an inline schema (specifically, use either AUTO or RAW mode), or don’t generate an inline schema at all.
Fix “Explicit conversion from data type int to date is not allowed.” in SQL Server
If you’re getting SQL Server error Msg 529 that reads something like Explicit conversion from data type int to date is not allowed, it’s because you’re trying to perform an explicit data type conversion that’s not permitted.
SQL Server doesn’t allow certain conversions. If you try to perform such a conversion, you’ll get this error.
Continue readingGenerate a Range of Sequence Numbers in SQL Server (sp_sequence_get_range)
In SQL Server, we can use the sp_sequence_get_range stored procedure to generate a range of sequence numbers from a sequence object.
How to Order a Query in SQL Server when using a Sequence to Number the Results
One common use case for sequences in SQL Server is to use them to number the results of a query. For example, we can add a column that has a number that increments with each row, similar to a row counter (but with a sequence that we define).
Continue readingFix Error Msg 220 “Arithmetic overflow error for data type…” in SQL Server
If you’re getting error msg 220 that reads something like Arithmetic overflow error for data type…, it’s probably because you’re trying to convert a value to a data type that can’t handle that value. For example, trying to convert a number to a smallint but the number’s too big to fit into a smallint.
To fix this issue, make sure you convert the value to a data type that can handle the size of the number that you’re trying to convert.
Continue readingHow to Add a Root Element when using FOR XML in SQL Server
If you’re using FOR XML in SQL Server to output your query results as XML, you might find yourself in the situation where the XML returned has no root element. Fortunately adding a root element is easy, as I’ll show you in this article.
2 Ways to Apply a Sequence to a Table in SQL Server
In SQL Server, we can create sequence objects in order to generate a range of numbers that increment with each call to the sequence.
Although sequences are similar to identity columns, they are different in that they are generated independently of any table. It’s up to the application to generate the next sequence number before inserting it into the table. Therefore, we can apply a sequence to a table in the same way we would insert any other data into a table.
Here are two ways to apply sequence numbers into a table in SQL Server.
Continue readingGet a List of Sequences in a SQL Server Database (T-SQL)
In SQL Server, we can use the sys.sequences system catalog view to return a list of sequence objects in the current database.