Whats T-SQL ?

RicardoSmith

I see some job adverts specifically mention T-SQL as distinct from SQL or MS SQL. Whats the difference?

bonkey

T SQL - or "Transact SQL" more completely - is the correct name for the flavour of SQL used by Microsoft.

Technically speaking, MSSQL refers to the server, and T-SQL refers to the language.....

jc

RicardoSmith

Would you say that T-SQL experience would infere that you have done some transaction programming. I've used Microsoft SQL quite a bit but never had to manage the SQL server other than boot it up and check that it working ok. We always had DBA's that wrote the transactions/stored procs and configured the SQL Server. Mainly for security reasons in the systems I have worked on. I would have had to debug the stored procs for bug fixing etc but that would have been about the nearest I got to them.

Typedef

An SQL implementation that has a thing called (transactions) or non-comittal SQL updates, inserts and so on could be called transact.

PostgreSQL for example has a thing called WAL or Write Ahead Logging, which enables transact operations to occur, ie, the ability to say Insert blah into blah, and then 'rollback' that operation.

Most well predicated SQL databases have some sort of Transact model and most updates/inserts and so on are transact by default.

That's how if your DB server suddenly looses power, in the midst of inserting 1000 rows in your 'orders' or 'arrears' table or some such the transact nature of the WAL (or similar implementation thereof), will gaurantee (or at least significantly decrease) the likelyhood of data loss.

Try it sometime on a PostgreSQL server, simply pull the plug (on a test box of course), then tail -f the sql log.

You will see the DB restore the inserts/updates that were in progress.

So basically if you use a DB that has no transact/WAL model, it's not worth a s**t.

RicardoSmith

Bit puzzled by that post typedef

bonkey

Originally posted by RicardoSmith
Would you say that T-SQL experience would infere that you have done some transaction programming.

I would infer that it means the person in question is familiar with writing SQL statments for an MS-SQL database.

If you don't know what that entails, then you don't have T-SQL experience.

jc

RicardoSmith

Originally posted by bonkey
I would infer that it means the person in question is familiar with writing SQL statments for an MS-SQL database.

If you don't know what that entails, then you don't have T-SQL experience.

jc

Its possible to know how to do something and not know the correct technical name for it. In my experience its also not unusual for different developers and companies to use the wrong name for something. For example lots of people call Word 2002, Word XP which it isn't.

I did a course over 2yrs ago on MS SQL and not once was T-SQL mentioned. I've just relooked at my notes and the only explanation is that T-SQL is "SQL Server implementation of the entry-level ANSI-SQL-92 ISO standard". Theres about two more lines and that it. This is MS official curriculum. The course was streamlined to shorten it so that why the instructor didn't specifically point it out. I may also not have the full documentation in the binder I have. I've always heard MS SQL used as reference to the language and SQL Server used as reference to the Server. Obviously this is incorrect.

Kernel32

Generally when the term T-SQL is used in a job description it means do you have experience writing stored procedures and user defined functions for SQL Server and generally it means do you know how to execute them from an external environment such as VB, .Net, Java etc. There is a bit of a difference between writing simple select, insert, update and delete sql statements and writing a stored procedure in T-SQL that takes parameters and may perform various business rules and data validations as well as making data updates

RicardoSmith

Originally posted by Kernel32
Generally when the term T-SQL is used in a job description it means do you have experience writing stored procedures and user defined functions for SQL Server and generally it means do you know how to execute them from an external environment such as VB, .Net, Java etc. There is a bit of a difference between writing simple select, insert, update and delete sql statements and writing a stored procedure in T-SQL that takes parameters and may perform various business rules and data validations as well as making data updates

Thats more along the lines I was thinking. Sounds more like a DBA role than a pure software developer role.

Evil Phil

I'm working with T-SQL on Sybase at the moment and I'm a developer not a dba. The DBA reviews our stuff of course but we're responsible for our own stored procedures, which is pretty much standard in my experience.

Kernel32

I am with Evil Phil on that one. I am a developer and I have worked a lot with T-SQL on Sql Server and PL/SQL on Oracle. On all my projects I have found the job of writing stored procedures to be the work of developers. DBA's will normally review the code, rarely to check it is doing what it should do but normally to see if it is using with ever standards maybe in place, comments, variable naming, use of cursors etc.

RicardoSmith

I guess theres some overlap of roles if you are building a multi-tiered application/system. In the development team I was on the DBA's (we had 3 of them) did that. We only did fixes and some minor Stored Procs. I guess with more people on a team and on bigger projects roles are more specialised on one thing. It wasn't a good way to work in hindsight.

WoodyWoodPecker

i'm curious why did you think it as a poor way to work with hindsight ?

RicardoSmith

Your skillset becomes too specialised and your experience will have holes in those areas which others on the team specialised in. Also if one specialist leaves the rest of the team doesn't have the experience to cover for them. Stuff like that.

zedsDeadBaby

Ricardo, you know enough to say you have experience in T-SQL.
It means that you can wite queries in SQL. That you can do.
You are not required to be a DBA when applying for a job that asks for T-SQL.
You dont know me but i know you

Karoma

what a prompt response...
:rolleyes:

Kernel32

what a prompt response...

I was thinking the same thing. Maybe zedsDeadBaby works for a government agency, if so then a response 6 months after a question was asked is actually pretty good.

Karoma

doubtful- we'd find copies (in triplicate and on post-its ) posted everywhere..