Sql server® 2012 t-sql fundamentals

Conclusion

This chapter provided a high-level overview of programmable objects so that you can be aware of 

SQL Server’s capabilities in this area and start building your vocabulary. This chapter covered vari-

ables, batches, flow elements, cursors, temporary tables, dynamic SQL, user-defined functions, stored 

procedures, triggers, and error handling—quite a few subjects. I hope that you focused on concepts 

and capabilities rather than getting sidetracked by every bit of code in the examples.

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375

A P P E N D I X

Getting Started

T

he purpose of this appendix is to help you get started and set up your environment so that you 

have everything you need to get the most out of this book.

You can run all of the code samples in this book on an on-premises installation of Microsoft SQL 

Server—box flavor—and most of the examples on Windows Azure SQL Database (formerly called SQL 

Azure)—cloud flavor. For details about the differences between the flavors, see the section “The ABC 

Flavors of SQL Server” in Chapter 1, “Background to T-SQL Querying and Programming.”

The first section, “Getting Started with SQL Database,” provides a link to the website where you 

can find the information you need to get started with SQL Database.

The second section, “Installing an On-Premises Installation of SQL Server,” assumes that you want 

to connect to an on-premises instance of SQL Server to run the code samples in this book, and that 

you don’t have an instance to connect to already. This section walks you through the installation 

proc ess for a SQL Server 2012 instance. If you already have an instance of SQL Server to connect to, 

feel free to skip the first section.

The third section, “Downloading Source Code and Installing the Sample Database,” points you to 

the website where you can get the downloadable source code for the book and provides instruc-

tions for installing the book’s sample database on both an on-premises SQL Server instance and SQL 

Database.

The fourth section, “Working with SQL Server Management Studio,” explains how to develop and 

execute T-SQL code in SQL Server by using SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS).

The last section, “Working with SQL Server Books Online,” describes SQL Server Books Online and 

explains its importance in helping you get information about T-SQL.