Welcome to the first article of the weekly #thresqlips series comprising of three sql tips, definitions or “must-know”‘s that should be part of your database development vocabulary:

Thresqlip No 1. Metadata is data about your data. Metadata is information which helps to describe the properties and relationships of data.

Thresqlip No 2. Text files only contain data (no metadata). It’s up to you to understand what the data means. XML is self-describing data, as it contains both data and metadata.

Thresqlip No 3. The FOR XML clause instructs SQL Server to return data as an XML stream rather than a rowset. The FOR XML clause is appended at the end of your SELECT statement.

What a #Thresqlip is?  A #Thresqlip is that sneaky piece of information that sometimes eludes you exactly when you need it. It’s that 3 seconds tip that you get from one of your colleagues and unblocks that piece of code you’re trying to fit together. Ultimately a  #Thresqlip is the coolest thing that has been around since the beginning of software development helping developers all around the world, pretty much just like a Super Hero.

Why three ? Well, One is too little, two is not enough and three is the magic number.

Like Martin Luther King Jr we too have a dream, we will get all the #Thresqlips togethe.

If you find yourself in the possession of a #Thresqlip that you’re just dying to share with the world send it across to thresqlips [ at ] dotnetsql.info or post it as a comment below and we’ll make sure it will get the proper recognition.

Until next time,

                                keep learning, keep searching and keep succeeding!

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