Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Sql server Basics


What is the disadvantages of index?
Indexes are stored on the disk, and the amount of space required will depend on the size of the table, and the number and types of columns used in the index.
EXEC sp_spaceused Orders
Name rows reserved data index_size unused ------- -------- ----------- ------ - Orders 830 504 KB 160 KB 320 KB 24 KB
According to the output above, the table data uses 160 kilobytes, while the table indexes use twice as much, or 320 kilobytes.

What is RDBMS?
Relational Data Base Management Systems (RDBMS) are database management systems that maintain data records and indices in tables. Relationships may be created and maintained across and among the data and tables. In a relational database, relationships between data items are expressed by means of tables. Interdependencies among these tables are expressed by data values rather than by pointers. This allows a high degree of data independence. An RDBMS has the capability to recombine the data items from different files, providing powerful tools for data usage.

What are the properties of the Relational tables?

Values are atomic.
Column values are of the same kind.
Each row is unique.
The sequence of columns is insignificant.
The sequence of rows is insignificant.
Each column must have a unique name.

What is Stored Procedure?
A stored procedure is a named group of SQL statements that have been previously created and stored in the server database. Stored procedures accept input parameters so that a single procedure can be used over the network by several clients using different input data. And when the procedure is modified, all clients automatically get the new version. Stored procedures reduce network traffic and improve performance. Stored procedures can be used to help ensure the integrity of the database.
e.g. sp_helpdb, sp_renamedb, sp_depends etc. 
TRIGGER

A trigger is a SQL procedure that initiates an action when an event (INSERT, DELETE or UPDATE) occurs.  Triggers are stored in and managed by the DBMS. Triggers are used to maintain the referential integrity of  data by changing the data in a systematic fashion. A trigger cannot be called or executed; DBMS automatically fires the trigger as a result of a data  modification  to  the  associated  table.  Triggers  can  be  viewed  as  similar  to  stored procedures in that both consist of procedural logic that is stored at the  database level. Stored procedures, however, are not event‐drive and are not attached to a specific table as triggers are. Stored procedures are explicitly executed by invoking a CALL to the procedure while  triggers   are   implicitly  executed.  In  addition,  triggers  can  also  execute  stored procedures.

Nested Trigger: A trigger can also contain INSERT, UPDATE and DELETE logic within itself, so when  the  trigger  is  fired  because  of  data  modification  it  can  also  cause  another  data modification, thereby firing another trigger. A trigger that contains data modification logic within itself is called a nested trigger.