Tag: what is

Understanding Filtered Indexes in SQL

Posted on by Ian

In SQL, indexing can be a great way to improve query performance across our database. We can create indexes to support the most commonly used queries, and these indexes can help our queries run much faster.

But it’s not always a matter of just “adding an index” and leaving it at that. If we really want the best bang for our buck, we usually need to look at how best to implement the index. There are many decisions that go into designing the best index for the job. And one such decision might be, should this be a filtered index?

But what exactly is a filtered index, and how can it improve our database efficiency?

Let’s find out.

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What is a UNIQUE Constraint?

Posted on by Ian

A UNIQUE constraint is a rule we apply to one or more columns in a database table to ensure that the values in those columns are unique across all rows. This means that no two rows in the table can have the same value(s) in the column(s) where we’ve applied the UNIQUE constraint. It’s an essential tool for maintaining data integrity and preventing duplicate entries in our database.

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Introduction to Indexing in SQL

Posted on by Ian

When working with databases, performance can be very important. This is especially true in production environments where the end users expect their queries and reports to be generated within seconds (or even milliseconds).

While blistering fast queries may be the norm with smaller datasets, as our databases grow larger and more complex, it can become much more of a challenge to keep our queries nice and snappy. When working with smaller datasets, it’s often possible to get lightning speed results even when not optimizing for speed. But as the datasets grow larger, we need more efficient tools and techniques to retrieve and manipulate data. One such tool is the index.

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A Quick Look at the FACTORIAL() Function in PostgreSQL

Posted on by Ian

In PostgreSQL, factorial() is a mathematical function that returns the factorial of a given integer. We pass the integer (it accepts bigint), and it returns the factorial as a numeric value.

In mathematics, the factorial is the product of all positive integers less than or equal to a given positive integer. It’s denoted by that integer and an exclamation point.

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SQL for Beginners: 10 Must-Know Concepts to Kickstart Your Database Journey

Posted on by Ian

SQL stands for Structured Query Language. It’s the go-to query language for most of us who develop relational databases. If you want to work with relational database management systems, learning SQL is pretty much non-negotiable. Especially if you want to become a SQL developer.

If you’re interested in becoming a SQL developer, here are ten essential SQL concepts that you need to learn.

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