With the introduction of SQL Server 2012 data developers have new ways to interact with their databases. This session will review the powerful new analytic windows functions, new ways to generate numeric sequences and new ways to page the results of our queries. Other features that will be discussed are improvements in error handling and new parsing and concatenating features.

1. Richie Rump
@Jorriss
http://jorriss.net

3. • Sequences
• Data Paging
• Analytic Window Functions
• Conversion Functions
• Logical Functions
• Date/Time Functions
• String Functions

4. • New construct to generate numeric
sequences.
• Ability to set min and max values
• Cycle will set the current value to the min
value when the max value is reached
• Future values can be cached minimizing
disk IO.

5. • Returns metadata for the supplied SQL
statement.
• Useful for determining column/database
information for a SQL statement or
Stored Procedure.

6. • If set to 0, no information is returned.
• If set to 1, each query is analyzed as if it
includes a FOR BROWSE option on the query.
This will return base table names as the
source column information.
• If set to 2, each query is analyzed as if it
would be used in preparing or executing a
cursor. This will return view names as source
column information.

7. • Allows the changing of column names
and data types in the resultset of a
stored procedure.
• Yes, you can change column names when
you call a stored procedure.

8. • Allows for server side paging.
• Not data pages (8K of awesome) but
paging like on a web page.
• OFFSET AND FETCH are arguments of the
ORDER BY clause
• OFFSET – Number of rows to skip
• FETCH – Number of rows to return

9. • LAG
• LEAD
• FIRST_VALUE
• LAST_VALUE
• PERCENT_RANK
• CUME_DIST
• PERCENTILE_CONT
• PERCENTILE_DISC

10. • The OVER clause determines the
partitions and order of a rowset before
the window function is applied.
• WHAT CHU TALKING ABOUT WILLIS?

11. • PARTITON BY – Similar to GROUP BY but
only applies to the window function and
not the entire query.
• ORDER BY – Specifies the order of the
rows in the partition

12. • No longer need to use a self-join or CTE.
• LAG: Access data from previous rows in
the result set.
• LEAD: Access data from future rows in
the result set.

13. • FIRST_VALUE: Retrieves the first value in
a partition.
• LAST_VALUE: Retrieves the last value in a
partition.

14. • Calculates a relative rank of a row.
• (RANK() – 1) / (Total Rows – 1)

15. • Calculates the percentage of values less
than or equal to the current value in the
group.
• COUNT(*) OVER (ORDER BY Col1) / Total
Count

16. • Calculates a percentile value
• Will interpolate the appropriate value
• Can use to find the median
– PERCENTILE_CONT(0.5)
• CONT stands for continuous

17. • Calculates a percentile value
• Like PERCENTILE_CONT but will select a
value that exists in the set.
• Can use to find the median
– PERCENTILE_CONT(0.5)
• DISC stands for discrete distribution

18. • Attempts to parse a string and convert it
to a specified datatype.
• Can only convert to a number or
datetime
• Uses the .Net CLR

19. • Like PARSE but if an error occurs returns
a NULL.
• Still uses the .Net CLR.

20. • Attempts to cast a value into a specified
data type. Returns NULL if CONVERT fails.

21. • Immediate If aka Inline If
• Takes a boolean expression and returns
one of two values.
• Shorthand for CASE.
• Has the same limitations as CASE
– Can only be nested to 10 levels

22. • Returns a value from a list based on a
specified index.
• If the specified index is not in the list
NULL is returned.
• Returns the data type based on data type
precedence.

23. • Returns last date of a specified month.
• Can specify a month_to_add argument
to increment or decrement result.

24. • DATEFROMPARTS ( year, month, day)
• DATETIME2FROMPARTS ( year, month, day, hour, minute,
seconds, fractions, precision )
• DATETIMEFROMPARTS ( year, month, day, hour, minute,
seconds, milliseconds )
• DATETIMEOFFSETFROMPARTS ( year, month, day, hour,
minute, seconds, fractions, hour_offset, minute_offset,
precision )
• SMALLDATETIMEFROMPARTS ( year, month, day, hour,
minute )
• TIMEFROMPARTS ( hour, minute, seconds, fractions,
precision )

25. • Does what it says…concatenates strings
together.
• NULLs are automatically converted to
empty strings.
• Can pass other data types for
concatenation.

26. • Simplifies the string formatting of dates
and other data types.
• No more memorizing numeric predefined
format values.
• Returns a string.
• Uses .Net CLR

27. • Reduces the need to use RAISERROR in
TRY/CATCH blocks.
• Can provide custom error messages.
• Always uses severity level 16.

29. Richie Rump
@Jorriss
jorriss@gmail.com
http://jorriss.net
http://dotnetmiami.com

31. Denali T-SQL at a Glance - New and Enhanced Functions
http://www.sqlmag.com/blog/puzzled-by-t-sql-blog-15/tsql/denali-tsql-glance-enhanced-
functions-140785
T-SQL Improvements in SQL Server 2012
http://www.infoq.com/news/2012/03/T-SQL-2012
SQL SERVER – Denali – 14 New Functions – A Quick Guide
http://blog.sqlauthority.com/2011/09/21/sql-server-denali-14-new-functions-a-quick-
guide/
Performance Test of New Date Manipulation Functions (SQL Spackle)
http://www.sqlservercentral.com/articles/Performance/89505/
Keyboard Shortcuts in Visual Studio 2012. Need to import settings.
http://www.mssqltips.com/sqlservertip/2625/improvement-to-keyboard-shortcuts-in-sql-
server-2012-management-studio/

32. • MSDN: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-
us/library/ff878091.aspx
• Sequence: Why they aren’t just for surrogate keys:
http://blog.infoadvisors.com/index.php/2012/02/16
/new-in-sql-server-2012-sequences-why-they-arent-
just-for-surrogate-keys/
• Sequence in 2012: http://www.sql-server-
performance.com/2011/sequence-sql-server-2011/
• Create Sequence: http://www.dbadiaries.com/new-
t-sql-features-in-sql-server-2012-create-sequence/

33. • MSDN: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-
us/library/ff878602.aspx
• http://blog.sqlauthority.com/2012/03/31
/sql-server-sp_describe_first_result_set-
new-system-stored-procedure-in-sql-
server-2012/

34. • MSDN: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-
us/library/ms188332.aspx
• WITH RESULT SETS
http://www.dbadiaries.com/new-t-sql-
features-in-sql-server-2012-with-result-
sets/

35. • MSDN: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-
us/library/ms188385.aspx
• TSQL 2012 – OFFSET and FETCH:
http://stevestedman.com/2012/04/tsql-2012-
offset-and-fetch/
• OFFSET and FETCH:
http://www.dbadiaries.com/new-t-sql-
features-in-sql-server-2012-offset-and-fetch/

36. • LAG - MSDN: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-
us/library/hh231256
• LEAD - MSDN: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-
us/library/hh213125

37. • FIRST_VALUE - MSDN:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-
us/library/hh213018
• LAST_VALUE - MSDN:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-
us/library/hh231517

38. • MSDN: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-
us/library/hh213573.aspx
• Introduction to PERCENT_RANK():
http://blog.sqlauthority.com/2011/11/18/sql-
server-introduction-to-percent_rank-analytic-
functions-introduced-in-sql-server-2012/

39. • MSDN: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-
us/library/hh231078.aspx
• Introduction to CUME_DIST:
http://blog.sqlauthority.com/2011/11/08/sql-
server-introduction-to-cume_dist-analytic-
functions-introduced-in-sql-server-2012/

40. • PERCENTILE_CONT - MSDN:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-
us/library/hh231473.aspx
• Introduction to PERCENTILE_CONT:
http://blog.sqlauthority.com/2011/11/20/sql-
server-introduction-to-percentile_cont-analytic-
functions-introduced-in-sql-server-2012/
• What exactly does PERCENTILE_CONT do?
http://www.sqlskills.com/BLOGS/BOBB/post/Wh
at-exactly-does-PERCENTILE_CONT-do-
anyhow.aspx

41. • PERCENTILE_DISC - MSDN:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-
us/library/hh231327
• Introduction to PERCENTILE_DISC:
http://blog.sqlauthority.com/2011/11/22/sql-
server-introduction-to-percentile_disc-
analytic-functions-introduced-in-sql-server-
2012/

42. • Difference between PARSE(), TRY_PARSE(),
TRY_CONVERT():
http://blog.sqlauthority.com/2011/09/09/sql-server-
denali-conversion-function-difference-between-parse-
try_parse-try_convert/
• PARSE - MSDN: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-
us/library/hh213316.aspx
• TRY_PARSE - MSDN: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-
us/library/hh974669
• TRY_CONVERT - MSDN:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh230993

43. • MSDN: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-
us/library/hh213574.aspx

44. • MSDN: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-
us/library/hh213019
• CHOOSE() – A Quick Introduction:
http://blog.sqlauthority.com/2011/09/11/sql-
server-denali-logical-function-choose-a-quick-
introduction/

45. • MSDN: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-
us/library/hh213020.aspx
• EOMONTH() – A Quick Introduction:
http://blog.sqlauthority.com/2011/09/20/sql-
server-denali-date-and-time-functions-
eomonth-a-quick-introduction/

46. • A Quick Introduction:
http://blog.sqlauthority.com/2011/09/19/sql-
server-denali-date-and-time-functions-
datefromparts-datetimefromparts-
datetime2fromparts-timefromparts-
smalldatetimefromparts-
datetimeoffsetfromparts-a-quick-introduc/

47. • MSDN: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-
us/library/hh231515.aspx

48. • MSDN: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-
us/library/hh213505.aspx
• New SQL Server Function to Format Dates:
http://www.mssqltips.com/sqlservertip/2655/ne
w-sql-server-function-to-format-
dates/?utm_source=dailynewsletter&utm_mediu
m=email&utm_content=headline&utm_campaig
n=2012427
• Custom Numeric Formats -
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-
US/library/0c899ak8.aspx#SpecifierD

49. • http://www.dbadiaries.com/new-t-sql-
features-in-sql-server-2012-throw/