SQL Server Collation Conflicts

If you have two fields with different collation types a SQL statement can throw the following error:

Cannot resolve collation conflict for equal to operation

A simple fix for this is to add the following keyword around the = operator as described here:


SELECT ID
FROM ItemsTable
INNER JOIN AccountsTable
WHERE ItemsTable.Collation1Col COLLATE DATABASE_DEFAULT
= AccountsTable.Collation2Col COLLATE DATABASE_DEFAULT

Dial 1 for Dave

Yesterday I told Hugo if he dialled 1 on the phone he'd get the Prime Minister, but if he didn't have a good reason for calling he'd be arrested.

My manifesto

I wouldn't make a very good politician, but I do have two good ideas.

1. Anyone injuring themselves because they're utterly pissed should be presented with a bill when they leave A&E. Same if they're arrested for being dicks.

2. Dog-owners guilty of allowing their dogs to foul have to spend every weekend for a month going round to the houses of people who have stepped in dog shit and cleaning their shoes with a toothpick.

Ditch the bint

I've enjoyed the new Doctor Who since its return in 2005. Like many I particularly appreciated David Tennant, who in my opinion is right up there with my Doctor, Tom Baker, for best ever.

I was sad to see Tennant go but happy with the choice of Matt Smith, who is an interesting looking fellow and seems to have right sort of quirkiness. I was a little more concerned about Russell T. Davies moving on too, but had faith in the producers to keep up the good work.

Hugo and I have been enjoying this latest series too, but there's been something nagging at me about it; something I couldn't quite put my finger on.

I admit I was not at all impressed with the new, colourful Gay Daleks, but I can let that go in the hope that they return to resembling cold-hearted killing machines one day, rather than a cross between a novelty shampoo bottle and a dodgem car. (And what's up with their enormous arses?)

Anyway, Gay Daleks aside, I've figured out what's been bugging me. It's bloody Amy Pond.

To me an important aspect of the Doctor and his companions is that wherever they go they care for and respect the people they meet. They relish the thrill of travelling through time and space, get excited about it, share the rush and appreciate how incredibly fortunate they are.

It seems to me that by contrast Amy just swans about the place, pouting at the Doctor at every opportunity and taking the piss out of anyone with whom she comes into contact. There's no respect, no awe, no joy; just an unfortunate arrogance. Her treatment of Churchill in Victory of the Daleks is a case in point: "Oi, Churchill!"

It's a shame, as Smith is shaping up to be a good Doctor, and the storylines are not too shabby.

Just ditch the pouting bint.

Choggie n.

Bea's word. When she was four she ran up to me, shouted, "Daddy, you're a choggie!" and ran off giggling.

When I finally caught her and asked for a definition she explained that 'choggie' has three possible meanings:

1. A poo.
2. A trump or fart.
3. A shelf.

It's number three that bothers me...

Must. Beat. The. Boy.

Now I've been playing video games since the early 80s, and I think I'm pretty good at them.

It was galling then, when Hugo casually challenged me to a game of Super Mariokart on the Wii, and proceeded to kick my arse for the next hour.

My natural response to sustained defeat is to descend into a tantrum of shouting and swearing, but apparently this is 'not acceptable behaviour' when playing a seven year old.

So I bit my lip, kept a cool head and practised for the rest of the day. I'm pleased to say that by bedtime I had reduced the boy to tears as I danced around the room in a victory celebration.

Unfortunately we haven't played since...

Twitterific!

I've had a Twitter account for a good long time, but I only started using it yesterday.

Like many I have sneered at Twitter, unable to fathom the need to receive news of what TV programme someone may be watching, or how big their recent dump was.

But yesterday, with the help of the election coverage, I became a total convert.

The trick, I've found, is to find someone interesting to follow and cherry pick from their followers. I chose Stephen Fry, of course, and was soon following 60 other interesting Tweeters (Twitterers?), mainly comedy, science and news.

Tweets during election night were amusing and informative, and have left me a complete Twitterholic.

The problem is that I have no-one following me, so there's not much point tweeting :(

If anyone wants to follow me I am @domdulley.