Posted by
Andy Brown
on 11 December 2024
Microsoft have announced the next version of their editing environment for SQL Server Management Studio, including the integration of Copilot and (finally) a dark theme.
Posted by
Andy Brown
on 11 December 2024
Microsoft have announced the preview availability of SQL Server 2025, complete with the new vector field. This blog explains what a vector field is, and why you might need it.
Posted by
Andrew Gould
on 09 December 2024
In an SSRS report you can display images stored in an external location. This blog explains how to show images from both the report server and external websites in your SSRS reports.
Posted by
Andrew Gould
on 04 December 2024
In SQL Server Reporting Services, storing images on a report server provides a convenient way to display pictures in a report. Uploading images one-by-one is tedious so this blog shows you one way to upload multiple images at the same time, including how to organise the files into different folders.
Posted by
Andrew Gould
on 05 June 2024
We've recently published a new set of exercises for our SQL training courses based on a database of concert tours. This blog provides a brief tour of the database and how to tackle the exercises on our website, even if you haven't attended a Wise Owl training course.
Posted by
Andy Brown
on 04 March 2024
Two little tricks to change the order of columns in SQL Server Management Studio and Power BI Query Editor, which (to our shame?) we've only just discovered.
Posted by
Andy Brown
on 25 September 2023
We've been teaching SQL to advanced level for a long time now, but it's always been using Transact SQL (T-SQL), the Microsoft SQL Server dialect. If you have a MySQL database we can now teach you using your correct dialect and coding environment (let us know if you are interested in PostgreSQL, PL/SQL for Oracle or any other dialect).
Posted by
Andy Brown
on 30 August 2023
Should you write your SQL queries in SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) or Azure Data Studio (ADS)? Read this blog to find out!
Posted by
Andy Brown
on 07 June 2023
One of the immediate and obvious ways to use AI tools is to boost your productivity as a programmer. This blog shows how you can use ChatGPT 4 and Google's Bard to write programs in SQL, Python, VBA, JQuery and Office Script (probably the 5 languages Wise Owl use most).
Posted by
Andy Brown
on 26 April 2023
The SQL Prompt utility from Redgate has an annual subscription cost, but on the plus side it will complete tedious joins for you (among many other things).
Posted by
Andy Brown
on 26 April 2023
The syntax of update queries in SQL is fiddly and hard to remember - much better to create a CTE and do updates through this!
Posted by
Andy Brown
on 01 February 2023
Although we currently just train in T-SQL for SQL Server, there are many other dialects of this database language: such as MySql and PL/SQL, for example. Which ones would you like Wise Owl to run courses in?
Posted by
Shaun Wantling
on 28 October 2022
A simple way to ensure that SSRS allocates colours consistently to different charts in an embedded table
Posted by
Andy Brown
on 06 October 2022
SQL Server 2022 is now in preview (you can download an evaluation copy). It includes new functions to split strings, trim text and truncate dates, among other things.
Posted by
Andy Brown
on 24 November 2021
You can use SQLCMD mode to parameterise the connection, database name, table name and select columns for a query - and much more besides, as this blog explains.
Posted by
Sam Lowrie
on 30 June 2021
Some of our poor delegates don't have the luxury of a home computer to install SQL on (even worse some have made bad life choices and picked a Mac). The good news is that you can still practise your SQL skills in your web browser, using the impressive SQL Fiddle site. Have no fear, SQL Fiddle is here, a browser based sandbox to bring you cheer!
Posted by
Sam Lowrie
on 28 April 2021
Normally when SQL Server Management Studio underlines words with what Microsoft call "red squigglies" it's because you haven't refreshed your local cache, but it could also be because of a recent bug - here's how to get round this!
Posted by
Andy Brown
on 22 March 2021
If you're using SQL Server with compatibility level 130 or greater you can now use the new String_Split function to divide a comma-delimited string into a table of values.
Posted by
Andy Brown
on 23 December 2020
Puzzled as to why there are two near-identical versions of Power BI Desktop? Wondering if web portal is anything like Power BI report server? Confused as to what a paginated report is? This blog answers all these questions, and more!
Posted by
Sam Lowrie
on 15 November 2023
Sam has a terrible sense of humour which is all too often inflicted on his delegates. Sadly, with this blog, on website viewers too ...
