My October 2007 Data Points column has been posted to the MSDN Magazine web site. This edition is titled "SQL Server Common Table Expressions".

 

In this article I focus on using CTEs to address common development scenarios.

- describing how CTEs work

- scenarios they can be used to address

- advantages of using CTEs versus using traditional T-SQL constructs, such as derived tables, views, and custom procedures

- several examples

- how and where they can be used (where not to)

- how CTEs handle recursive logic

- define how a recursive CTE operates

 

As always, all the code I discuss in the column is available for download from the MSDN® Magazine Web site and uses the Northwind and the AdventureWorks databases that come with SQL Server 2005.