SQL 2012 includes several new features for SQL developers including contained databases, columnstore indexes, sequence objects, data paging improvements, and new analytic functions like LEAD() and LAG(). It also enhances Transact-SQL with new conversion, date/time and logical functions and improves metadata discovery and error handling. Visual Studio integration is also improved with tighter management studio integration.

1. EXCITING FEATURES FOR
SQL DEVS IN SQL 2012
Brij Bhushan Mishra

2. About Me
• Brij Bhushan Mishra
• Microsoft ASP.NET/IIS MVP
• Former CodeProject MVP
• Blogger/Author/Speaker
• http://brijbhushan.net
• @brij_bhushan
• brij.mishra@outlook.com

3. SQL-2012 Enticing features
• Contained database
• Always On
• Column Store Indexes
• Visual Studio integration with Management Studio
• TSQL Enhancements

4. Row Store
• Relational Data is stored as row wise which further gets
stored in page with page size 8KB in HardDisk as
Row Store
Column 1 Column 2 Column 3 Column 4 Column 5 Column 1 Column 2 Column 3 Column 4 Column 5
Page 1 Page 2
Column 1
Hits multiple rows to fetch the data

5. Columnstore index
• Pages stores column data and Columns are heavily
compressed
Column 1 Column 1 Column 4 Column 4
Page 2Page 1
• Removes redundancy and provide faster search
Limitations
• 1 Table can have only one 1 Columnstore index
• After creating Columnstore index table cannot be updated

6. TSQL Enhancement
• Sequence Objects
• Data Paging
• Error handling
• Exec Procs with Result Set
• Metadata discovery
• Logical functions and String Functions
• Conversion functions
• Date Time functions
• Analytic Functions LEAD() and LAG()

7. Sequence Objects
• A user defined object that returns a sequence of numeric
values
• Similar is available with Oracle
• Unique to database, not to a Table (Not like Identity
Column)
• Can be used anywhere not specific to a Table
• Does not support Transaction
Parameters
Type (Integer) MAXVALUE
START WITH <constant> CYCLE | NO CYCLE
INCREMENT BY <constant> CACHE <constant> | NO CACHE
MINVALUE
DEMO

8. Data Paging
• One of the most used features in Applications
• Most of the application implements Paging at Application
level (not a database level)
• Currently for Database level Paging
• Retrieve data using ROW_NUMBER function
• Temp Tables
• Other options..
• SQL 2012 simplified this
• Need to set the offset command
• The number of Rows that required to be fetched by using “FETCH”
command
DEMO

9. Error handling
• SQL Server 2005 introduced try/catch (But throw was
missing)
• But to send the error to client, required to use
RAISEERROR
• Throw is added (similar like C# or vb.NET)
• Now do not required to add a entry in Sys.Messages table
• The original exception is sent to the Client.
DEMO

10. EXEC Stored Proc with Result Sets
• Can specify a new option with the EXECUTE statement
as
EXECUTE <proc> WITH <result_set_option>
• Allows to change the column names and data types in
Result Sets
DEMO

11. Metadata Discovery
• Earlier we used SET FMTONLY ON that is used to return
the metadata only (Not the actual data)
• Very helpful, in scenarios where we cannot predict the
result set.
• Two new Proc and equivalent DMV introduced
• sp_describe_first_result_set
• sp_describe_undeclared_parameters
• sys.dm_exec_describe_first_result_set
• sys.dm_exec_describe_first_result_set_for_object
DEMO

12. Logical and String Functions
• IIF
• Takes a boolean expression and returns one of the two given values.
• Shorthand of Case expression
• Can be nested upto 10 levels
• CHOOSE
• Returns a value from the list based on the provided Index
• If does not find then returns null
• DataType is returned based on the precedence
• FORMAT
• FORMAT function for locale-aware formatting of date/time and
number values as strings
• CONCAT
• Concatenates two or more strings

13. Conversion Functions
• PARSE
• Parse a string and try to convert in provided data type.
• Uses the .NET CLR
• Raise an error if not able to convert it
• TRY_PARSE
• Similar to parse but returns null if unable to parse
• Also uses the .NET CLR
• TRY_CONVERT
• Similar to Convert but returns null if unable to parse
DEMO

14. DateTime functions
• EOMONTH (start_date)
• 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)

15. Analytic function Lead() and Lag()
• LAG() – Access the data in the previous row from the
same result set without self join
• Parameters
• scalar_expression
• Offset
• Default
• Over([partition_by_clause] order_by_clause) *
• Lead() - Access the data in the subsequent row from the
same result se
• scalar_expression
• Offset
• Default
• Over([partition_by_clause] order_by_clause) *.

16. Thank you
• http://brijbhushan.net
• @brij_bhushan
• brij.mishra@outlook.com