Coping with Large Dimensional Workflows

I have recently been working on a third tranche of ETL work for a client which is basically a reasonably complex data warehouse. Its been a great project and I’ve loved getting down and dirty with their data although there have been some frustrating elements to the project, which as I have not worked on such a complex linear project before, I did not foresee as being an issue. This blog is a discussion of the main issue which I will attempt to give a working strategy to deal with.

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Written by Conrad Rowlands, Lead Developer, Developer Solutions

Man of Distinct(ion)

Its not often that I learn something new about the fundamentals of SQL. Sure they add to the syntax all the time and you learn something  about what you can do with these addition but fundamentals, that’s basic stuff – the kind of stuff you rattle off a thousand times a day without even thinking about it . I’m talking about  stuff I should have known though it seems that I am not alone so I thought I would share this tidbit. This knowledge  is to do with the DISTINCT keyword of all things.

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Written by Conrad Rowlands, Lead Developer, Developer Solutions

Lookup Date Values in DTS package

I recently came to extend some DTS packages that we have implemented for a client to include a LOT of new Date styled dimensions. You know the kind of thing… We have a date table with all of the possible dates over the last 400 years which we all figure should suffice. If I’m still coding beyond this date I’m not entirely sure that DTS will be the framework of choice, Hell its already VERY superceded even as we speak! What I did not appreciate was that date look ups would be problematical in DTS.

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Written by Conrad Rowlands, Lead Developer and Team Leader, Developer Solutions

Grouping multiline SQL data using XML

A friend of mine recently asked for help with a bit of SQL he was working on. True, he was in a far away land lording it up and I could have ignored him on general principles but the way I look at it is this… If he’s out there and in work he’s not over here making a nuisance of himself (Only joking George). So I decided to help, selfless creature that I am!

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Written by:  Conrad Rowlands, Developer Solutions

For further information, visit www.developer-solutions.co.uk.

Improve Readability using ROW_NUMBER()

What did I ever do without the TSQL Row_Number() functionality. I do remember way back in days of yore (when I had youth, less weight and even less sleep) wishing that with straight SQL I could achieve a row count within my data. I seem to remember we cobbled something together but it was less than satisfactory. Code it seems is always about compromise…

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Written by Conrad Rowlands, Developer Solutions

For further information, visit www.developer-solutions.co.uk.

How to keep your SSIS package ‘DRY’

So, you all know the deal… When it comes to coding there is one rule that all half decent programmers aspire to; Nope, it’s not ‘Never toss a dwarf’ which whilst being reasonably good advice is probably not quite relevant to normal weekly challenges at the coal face of code. It is this, Keep your code DRY

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Written by Conrad Rowlands, Developer Solutions

Visit www.developer-solutions.co.uk for further information.

Bring Out 'Yer' Dead!

For any Python fans out there you’ll be well aware of the ‘Bring out yer Dead’ scene from the Holy Grail film and this particular blog draws heavily on that sketch for its inspiration. For anyone not familiar with the genius that is Monty Python the scene shows London in around 1665, the populace gripped in the full throes of bubonic plague. Eric Idle is pushing a death cart through the streets yelling ‘Bring out yer dead’. A few residents dump their less fortunate relatives onto the pile of now deceased bodies before John Cleese tries to offload his very much alive grandfather for the full ninepence. Despite the remonstrations from the clearly far from dead old man they eventually come to an agreement, knocking the old man unconscious into the bargain. Nobody expects corpses to have so much to say.

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Written by Conrad Rowlands, Developer Solutions