If you ever need to sort character strings stored in SQL Server fields, check out this demonstration of how to write a common sorting algorithm using SQL Server TSQL code.

This third character is a Unicode zero-width space. If this entered your database or applications, it could get very confusing. Did you know SQL Server allows a column to contain a delete character?

Have a table (SQL Server 2008) that the user wants to record a fixed 8 character string in. At first glance, a CHAR seems the obvious selection since this value (an 8 character ID, two alpha ...