SQL EXISTS Explained

The SQL EXISTS predicate is used to specify a test for a non-empty set. It returns TRUE or FALSE, depending on the outcome of the test.

When we incorporate the EXISTS predicate operator into our SQL queries, we specify a subquery to test for the existence of rows. If there are any rows, then the subquery is TRUE. If there are no rows, then the subquery is FALSE.

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Introduction to the GENERATE_SERIES() Function in SQL Server

In SQL Server, the GENERATE_SERIES() function is a relational operator that returns a series of values between a given start and stop point. These are returned in a single-column table.

Although the GENERATE_SERIES() function only works with numeric values, we can combine it with other functions to create a series of dates.

The GENERATE_SERIES() function was introduced in SQL Server 2022 (16.x) and requires the compatibility level to be at least 160.

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Understanding the DATE_BUCKET() Function in SQL Server

The release of SQL Server 2022 came with the introduction of the DATE_BUCKET() function.

The DATE_BUCKET() function allows us to arrange data into groups that represent fixed intervals of time. It returns the date/time value that corresponds to the start of each date/time bucket, as defined by the arguments passed to the function.

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Understanding the TRIM() Function in SQL Server

In SQL Server, we can use the TRIM() function to remove leading and trailing characters from a given string.

A common use case is to remove whitespace from the start and end of the string, but we can also specify other characters to remove.

Also, as from SQL Server 2022, we can specify which side of the string to remove the characters from (i.e. leading, trailing, or both).

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