Ok I'm using SQL Server 2008 and have a table field of type VARCHAR(MAX). Problem is that when saving information using Hibernate, the contents of VARCHAR(MAX) field is getting truncated. I don't see any error messages on either the app server or database server.
The content of this field is just a plain text file. The size of this text file is 383KB.
This is what I have done so far to troubleshoot this problem:
Changed the database field from VARCHAR(MAX) to TEXT and same
problem occurs.
Used the SQL Server Profiler and I noticed that the full text
content is being
received by the database server, but for some reason the profiler freezes when trying
to view the SQL with the truncation problem. Like I said, just before it freezes, I
did noticed that the full text file content (383KB) are being received, so it seems
that it might be the database problem.
Has anyone encountered this problem before? Any ideas what causes this truncation?
NOTE: just want to mention that I'm just going into SQL Studio and just copying the TEXT field content and pasting it to Textpad. That's how I noticed it's getting truncated.
Thanks in advance.
Your problem is that you think Management Studio is going to present you with all of the data. It doesn't. Go to Tools > Options > Query Results > SQL Server. If you are using Results to Grid, change "Maximum Characters Retrieved" for "Non XML data" (just note that Results to Grid will eliminate any CR/LF). If you are using Results to Text, change "Maximum number of characters displayed in each column."
You may be tempted to enter more, but the maximum you can return within Management Studio is:
65535 for Results to Grid
8192 for Results to Text
If you really want to see all the data in Management Studio, you can try converting it to XML, but this has issues also. First set Results To Grid > XML data to 5 MB or unlimited, then do:
SELECT CONVERT(XML, column) FROM dbo.table WHERE...
Now this will produce a grid result where the link is actually clickable. This will open a new editor window (it won't be a query window, so won't have execute buttons, IntelliSense, etc.) with your data converted to XML. This means it will replace > with > etc. Here's a quick example:
SELECT CONVERT(XML, 'bob > sally');
Result:
When you click on the grid, you get this new window:
(It does kind of have IntelliSense, validating XML format, which is why you see the squigglies.)
BACK AT THE RANCH
If you just want to sanity check and don't really want to copy all 383K elsewhere, then don't! Just check using:
SELECT DATALENGTH(column) FROM dbo.table WHERE...
This should show you that your data was captured by the database, and the problem is the tool and your method of verification.
(I've since written a tip about this here.)
try using SELECT * FROM dbo.table for XML PATH
I had a similar situation. I have an excel sheet. A couple of columns in the sheet may have more than 255 chars, sometimes even 500. A simple way was to sort the rows of data, placing the rows with the most characters up on top. You actually need just one row. When SQL imports the data, it recognizes the field being more than 255 characters and imports the entire data :)
Otherwise, they suggested using regedit to change a specific value. Didn't want to do that.
Hope this helps
Related
A lot of the front end user's don't give a rat's ass about data input quality. My SSMS query retrieves the data beautifully with the correct number of rows output, as expected.
On pasting into Excel you get a different number of rows and the set needs playing around with. I believe it's because the data input in that field is weird / non-standard.
Is the only way to fix this editing the source data or making a big exception clause? I don't want to go via csv and text to columns either.
I'm used to scripting in Python or Matlab, and my first couple hours with SQL have been infuriating. I would like to make a list of columns appear on the screen in any way, shape, or form; but when I use commands like
select *
from "2Second Log.dbo.TagTable.Columns"
I keep getting the error:
Invalid column name '[the first column in my table]'.
even though I never explicitly asked for [the first column in my table], it found it for me. How can you correctly identify the first column name, and then still claim it's invalid!? Babies will be strangled.
This db was generated by Allen Bradley's FactoryTalk software. What I would really like to do is produce an actual list of "TagName" strings...but I get the same error when I try that. If there were a way to actually double click the table and open it up and look at it (like in Matlab), that would be ideal.
Echoing juergen's suggestion in the comment above. It looks like you're running the query on the master database, not the 2Second Log database that actually has your table. (You can tell this by looking at the database in the dropdown in the top left of your screenshot). Two things you can do:
Change the dropdown in the top left to 2Second Log. This will target your query to a different database
Put your database name in brackets as suggested by juergen i.e. select * from [2Second Log].dbo.TagTable
As an side, if you're looking for a good SQL tutorial, I highly recommend the Mode SQL tutorial. It's a fantastic interactive platform to get your SQL feet wet.
always use brackets when names/field have spaces or dashes.
select * from [2Second Log].dbo.TagTable
In T-SQL (SQL Server 2008 and higher), what is the datatype to use for a column which stores text data keeping formatting like breaklines / enters, bullets, tabs etc. in the text? The length of the text can vary substantially.
I have tried NVarchar(max), but a select result set removes all the formatting. Or is this caused by SSMS like on this post here and this post?
Is it also possible to store the text data including the html code?
Sorry for the newbie question, but I saw a few posts on Stackoverflow that confuse me somewhat about this subject in respect which datatype is best to use: Ntext vs Nvarchar; and how to get the data out of the DB but still keep the formatting.
Thanks!
When you save information into SQL Server the information is stored at text, so when you try to insert HTML it is stored as raw HTML code.
From my knowledge there is no way to allow HTML formatting in a SQL Server result set.
I have been doing SQL for a while and I've always been satisfied to use the Results to Grid found in SSMS.
Now I have a series of queries that I am running and I would like to have some very simple formatting of the results. Currently neither the Results to Grid nor the Results to Text do quite what I would like to do.
A few things I would like to do so it is easier for me to read is
Remove the text that says '# row(s) affected' (found in the Results to Text)
Make the columns not so wide in the column aligned Output Format (part of the problem is that the Maximum Number of Characters does not appear to go below 30 - is this my data that forces this?)
If I cannot format the output (even to a text file) what other options do I have ?
I spent some time looking at SQL Server -> PHP -> HTML as well as SQL Server -> Reporting Services -> MS Report Builder but quite frankly it seems like overkill to put a few spacers and pretty up the headings a bit.
I feel like I am missing something here ... I would rather not go through the hassle of all that installation of PHP and what not just to be able to look at my data a little bit prettier.
Remove the text that says '# row(s) affected' (found in the Results to Text)
Put this SET NOCOUNT ON at the top of your sql
Make the columns not so wide in the column aligned Output Format (part
of the problem is that the Maximum Number of Characters does not
appear to go below 30 - is this my data that forces this?)
Yes its the size of the field that does this. You can cast it cast(field as varchar(20)to make it smaller if you know you won't lose data.
It all depends on what you want to do with the formatted results.
For quickly reading / formatting a result that isn't great when viewed directly in Management Studio, I use Results to Grid, select all with headers (by right-clicking on the upper-left corner of the grid), and copy/paste into Excel. From there it's easy to do basic tinkering with column widths and formatting. The biggest downside for me is dates are never quite right out-of-the-box, but it's always a quick fix.
Excel also makes a good interim stop for basic formatting when I'm pasting query results into an email.
It might be overkill in some cases, but I suspect much less so than using PHP -> HTML or Reporting Services -> MS Report Builder.
I would like to edit data directly from result grid in ssms. eg:
When I execute SELECT TOP 10 * FROM some_table, I want to edit data directly from result grid.
I don't want to open some_table and edit from there.
I know that result grid is read-only, but maybe someone written addin for it.
You can't edit the data from within the result grid. You'd have to go via the "open table" route if you want to edit the data manually instead of using UPDATE/INSERT SQL statements.
Is there a reason you specifically want to use the result grid instead?
You can specify a query when you go via open table to limit the results if that's your reason? There's a "Show SQL Pane" button in the top toolbar you need to select (square box with "SQL" written in it).
I have very large database (70+ GB) with so many tables.
I'm using Red Gate's SQL refactor for intellisense and few other things.
It's so boring to type in update sql statements every time I need to change single field.
It also takes some time to find that table in the Object explorer.
Intellisense doesn't work when I use "Show SQL Pane".
I'm new to SQL Server and have used the Oracle product 'PL/SQL developer' by All Round Automations at a previous job... It would allow you to do a SELECT in the query window and then simply add "FOR UPDATE" to the end of your refined SQL SELECT and 'ta-da' you can now edit the results in a nice grid. No need to Open Table View, click the SQL button, paste in the SQL you you have been working on and then hit execute ;)
EMS SQL Manager for SQL Server allows to update data directly inside a results grid.
This tool is boring for typing new requests (poor intellisense and error management) but fine for this. I always have the two tools opened.
If you right click on the table and choose edit top 200 records, it produces a result screen with an query.
Add to this your query and then you can edit the records in the result screen.
Also you can change the 200 to a number you want (2000).
The "results" pane is not just results.
Results in text
Assorted time and IO statistics
Estimated and actual execution plans
Row counts, Error messages, PRINT output
etc
This is why they are separate.
Feel free to write your own add-in :-) Or here
SQL Server ISN'T Access!
When you run a query and get the results - thats exactly what you are doing, reading the data, not opening the table for editing. Can you imagine the necessary transactional control around allowing the results window to be edited? The locking would probably grind SQL to a halt - I hope no-one ever writes that kind of add-in!