Timing Out

[sabloomer]

Before I start a little background. I have 5 years experience background as an Access Developer. I have used existing SQL Server Databases before, but never set one up myself. My IT department as decided not to support this project, so I am learning, the hard way, as I go.

Issue: I have taken invoice information from multiple years and multiple computer systems (we bought a company) and made one HUGE table. When I try to use this table I keep getting a message about "Timing Out". How do I adjust the about of time before it times out? I remember seeing it, but I can not find it and the help isn't much of that.

Thank you to anyone that can help,

sabloomer

 

[JamesLean]

How many rows are in this table?
What query are you trying to run?
Where are you trying to run it from (Query Analyzer, custom app etc..)?
What is the exact error you are getting?

--James

 

[JayKusch]

As James stated above, if you are trying to "manipulate" your table via EM, Enterprise Manager", you may be running into a time-out condition. You should do all of you processing via QA, Query Analyser.


Thanks

J. Kusch

 

[sabloomer]

Thank you JamesLean and JayKusch for the help. I have been trying to use the Query Analyzer, but I am having some trouble. My background is in Access. To help write the SQL I need to use Query Analyzer I have used Access to make the query and then paste it into the Query Analyzer. This way I make sure my functions and joins are correct. When I do that for a Make Table query it does not like the syntax. I think it is the

![Field] syntax it doesn't like but I can't figure out what it wants. I am having the same issue when I try to us the Isnull function. Do either of you know a good resource that explains the SQL language differences between Access and SQL Server? Thank you for your time.

sabloomer

 

[JamesLean]

SQL Server doesn't use the ! for referencing tables, just use table_name.column_name

Use ISNULL in SQL Server to check a value for being NULL and if it is, return a substitute value:

SELECT ISNULL(col1, 'no value') FROM tbl1

--James

 

[sabloomer]

Thank you again. I was starting to make progress on the table.field thing. I needed to get away and sleep on it I guess. I thougth I needed to use an IIF statement with the Isnull to accomplish that. That would explain my error message. I am sure that this is not the last you will hear from me.

Thanks,

sabloomer

 

[SQLSister]

SQL server doesn't recognize IIF. Whenever you have used it in the past, you will need to use the Case function.

 

[sabloomer]

Thanks SQLSister. Can you think of any other things I should look out for? Are there any good resoureces designed to help someone like myself to make the jump from Access to SQL Server? I have the QUE "Using" book, and it helps but it isn't really written with that transition in mind.

sabloomer

 

[SQLSister]

Those lovely cross tab queries that were so easy to do in Access don't exist as such in SQL server. There's an FAQ in the programming area on how to do a crosstab query, I think, if not you can search for it, there have been a bunch of threads.

THere are alot of new topics that weren't things you needed to know in Access. SQL server requires security whereas Access did not, so you need to learn about setting permissions.

Backup is a whole specilaized topic you need to explore. If you don't do it properly, you will be back here in a few months going why did my transaction log eat up my whole hard drive.

Inserting the variable from a form into a SQL Server query is not as simple as in Access.

I don't know what you are using as your front end, but if it is still Acess there are performance problems associated with using linked tables and continuing to use your old Access queries.

Performance monitoring and tuning will be new topics. Lots of ways to fine-tune the SQL code to run faster.