In SQL Server, we can use the T-SQL LTRIM() function to remove leading blanks from a given string.
Also, as from SQL Server 2022, we can specify other leading characters to remove from the string.
Fixing the “data types” are “incompatible in the approx_percentile_cont operator” in SQL Server
If you’re getting SQL Server error msg 402 that tells you the “data types” are “incompatible in the approx_percentile_cont operator“, it’s probably because you’re trying to apply the APPROX_PERCENTILE_CONT() function against a non-numeric column (or one that doesn’t evaluate to a numeric type).
When using the APPROX_PERCENTILE_CONT() function, the ORDER BY expression in the WITHIN GROUP clause must evaluate to an exact or approximate numeric type. Other data types are not allowed, and will result in the above error.
To fix this issue, be sure to apply the function against a numeric column/expression.
Understanding the STRING_SPLIT() Function in SQL Server
In SQL Server STRING_SPLIT() is a table-valued function that splits a string into rows of substrings, based on a specified separator character.
Each substring is returned on its own row, in a column called value.
How the CHOOSE() Function Works in SQL Server
In SQL Server the CHOOSE() function returns the item at the specified index from a list of values.
Fix SQL Server Error: “The function ‘APPROX_PERCENTILE_CONT’ must have a WITHIN GROUP clause”
If you’re getting SQL Server error 10754 that reads “The function ‘APPROX_PERCENTILE_CONT’ must have a WITHIN GROUP clause” it’s probably because you’re calling the APPROX_PERCENTILE_CONT() function, but you’ve omitted the WITHIN GROUP clause.
To fix this issue, add a WITHIN GROUP clause to the function (and make sure it has an ORDER BY clause).
How NULL Values Can Affect your Results When Using the COUNT() Function in SQL
The SQL COUNT() function is a handy tool for telling us how many rows would be returned in a query. We can pass a column name to the function or we can pass the asterisk (*) wildcard to indicate all columns.
If a column contains NULL values, we could get different results, depending on whether we use the column name or the asterisk (*).
The Difference Between LEAST() and MIN() in SQL Server
SQL Server 2022 introduced the LEAST() function, which at first glance, may seem to do the same thing as the already existing MIN() function.
However, these are two separate functions with two separate purposes.
Overview of the VARP() Function in SQL Server
In SQL Server the VARP() function returns the statistical variance for the population for all values in the specified expression.
Fix Error “The function ‘LAST_VALUE’ must have an OVER clause” in SQL Server
If you’re getting SQL Server error 10753 that reads “The function ‘LAST_VALUE’ must have an OVER clause”, it’s probably because you’re calling the LAST_VALUE() function without an OVER clause.
The LAST_VALUE() function requires an OVER clause (and that clause must have an ORDER BY clause).
To fix this issue, include an OVER clause when calling the LAST_VALUE() function.
Understanding the VAR() Function in SQL Server
In SQL Server the VAR() function returns the statistical variance of all values in the specified expression.