How AUTOINCREMENT Works in SQLite

In SQLite, an AUTOINCREMENT column is one that uses an automatically incremented value for each row that’s inserted into the table.

There are a couple of ways you can create an AUTOINCREMENT column:

  • You can create it implicitly when you define the column as INTEGER PRIMARY KEY.
  • You can create it explicitly with the AUTOINCREMENT keyword. One downside of this method is that it uses extra CPU, memory, disk space, and disk I/O overhead.

Both methods cause the column to use an incrementing value each time a new row is inserted with NULL in that column.

However, there are some subtle differences between how each method works.

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What is @@SERVICENAME in SQL Server?

In SQL Server, the @@SERVICENAME configuration function returns the name of the registry key under which SQL Server is running.

No argument is required. You can simply use it in a SELECT statement to return the registry key’s name.

Note that SQL Server runs as a service named MSSQLServer. The @@SERVICENAME function returns MSSQLSERVER if the current instance is the default instance. It returns the instance name if the current instance is a named instance.

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Introduction to User-Defined Functions in SQL Server

SQL Server ships with a collection of built-in functions that enable you to perform a variety of operations. Each built-in function serves a specific purpose, and can’t be modified. If a function serves your purpose, you can go ahead and use it.

But what if you can’t find a function that serves your purpose?

Then it’s time to write your own user-defined function.

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What is a Scalar UDF in SQL Server?

In SQL Server, a scalar UDF, or scalar user-defined function, is a user-defined function that returns a single value.

This is in contrast to a table-valued function, which returns a result set in the form of a table.

User-defined functions can be written as either T-SQL UDFs or CLR (Common Language Runtime) UDFs. CLR enables you to create UDFs in managed code using any .NET Framework programming language. These functions are then accessible to T-SQL or other managed code.

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What is a Table-Valued Function in SQL Server?

In SQL Server, a table-valued function (TVF) is a user-defined function that returns a table. This is in contrast to a scalar function, which returns a single value.

You can invoke a table-valued function in the same way that you can query a table. For example, you can use it in a SELECT statement. In some cases, table-valued functions can also be used to update, delete, and insert data.

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What is @@TEXTSIZE in SQL Server?

In SQL Server, the @@TEXTSIZE configuration function returns the current value of the TEXTSIZE option.

No argument is required. You can simply use it in a SELECT statement to return the current TEXTSIZE value.

The TEXTSIZE value specifies the size of varchar(max), nvarchar(max), varbinary(max), text, ntext, and image data returned by a SELECT statement. This value can be set using SET TEXTSIZE.

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