Here’s a list of MySQL format specifiers that can be used in format strings with functions like DATE_FORMAT(), STR_TO_DATE(), and UNIX_TIMESTAMP().
2 Functions that Return the Month Name from a Date in MySQL
The following two functions enable us to get the month name from a date in MySQL.
How to Backup the Transaction Logs in Azure SQL Edge (T-SQL)
By default, databases created in Azure SQL Edge use the simple recovery model. This means that you can’t perform log backups on these databases.
Fortunately, you can change a database’s recovery model to full recovery mode, which will enable you to back up the logs.
2 Ways to Concatenate a String and a Number in Oracle
In Oracle Database, we can concatenate strings and numbers with the CONCAT() function or the pipe concatenation operator (||).
How to Change the Recovery Model of a Database in Azure SQL Edge using T-SQL
By default, databases created with Azure SQL Edge use the simple recovery model. This means that you can’t perform log backups on these databases.
If you need to perform log backups on a database created with SQL Edge, you’ll need to change the recovery model of the database to either full or bulk logged.
This can be done with T-SQL with the ALTER DATABASE statement.
About the DATE_BUCKET() Function in Azure SQL Edge
T-SQL includes a DATE_BUCKET() function that allows you to arrange data into groups that represent fixed intervals of time. It returns the datetime value that corresponds to the start of each datetime bucket, as defined by the arguments passed to the function.
As far as I’m aware, the DATE_BUCKET() function is only available in Azure SQL Edge at the time of this writing.
Update: DATE_BUCKET() was introduced in SQL Server 2022.
How to Format Numbers in Oracle
In Oracle Database, you can format numbers in many ways.
For example, you can format a number as a currency, with commas and decimal points in the right place. You can specify leading zeros, you can add a fractional part – or remove it, if that’s what’s required.
How to Install SQL Server on an M1 Mac (ARM64)
Update January 2026: When I wrote this article in 2021, the full SQL Server image couldn’t be installed on Apple Silicon machines (the M1 Macs). We had to install SQL Edge instead, which is why I wrote this article. Fortunately, things have progressed since then, and we can now install the full SQL Server image on Apple Silicon machines (including M1, M2, M3, M4).
Therefore, I recommend you read How to Install SQL Server on a Mac in 2026 instead of this article. It’s a very similar process to the one outlined in this article, but it actually installs SQL Server instead of SQL Edge (which has since been retired).