Invitation to T-SQL Tuesday #18 – CTEs

This month marks the 18th installment of T-SQL Tuesday. T-SQL Tuesday was started in December 2009 by Adam Machanic (blog | @AdamMachanic) and is defined as "a recurring, revolving blog party". Any blogger wishing to participate is invited to write about the given topic, chosen by whoever is hosting that particular month. I'm very pleased to be hosting this time around for the T-SQL Tuesday taking place on **May 10, 2011**!

The Topic

This month's topic is CTEs, or Common Table Expressions. Had you asked me 10 years ago what CTE meant, I would have replied "coefficient of thermal expansion" but that was back in my semiconductor & electronic materials phase. I like the database version much better :)

Have you ever solved or created a problem by using CTEs? Got a tip, trick, or something nifty to share? I'd love to see your posts about any of the above. Also don't forget that T-SQL Tuesday is not limited to only T-SQL:

"Any post that is related to both SQL Server and the theme is fair game. So feel free to post about SSIS, SSRS, Java integration, or whatever other technologies you're working with in conjunction with SQL Server. Even if your post includes no T-SQL we still want to see it."

The Rules

  • Your post must be published between 00:00 GMT Tuesday May 10, 2011, and 00:00 GMT Wednesday May 11, 2011.
  • Your post must contain the T-SQL Tuesday logo (see above) and the image must link back to this blog post.
  • Trackbacks should work, but if not please put a link to your post in the comments section so everyone can see your contribution!

Bonus Points

  • Include "T-SQL Tuesday #18" in your blog post's title.
  • Mention "coefficient of thermal expansion" in your post.
  • Tweet about your post and include the #tsql2sday hashtag.
  • Contact Adam Machanic and tell him you'd like to host!

I'll be reading through all the posts and publishing a summary shortly thereafter. I can't wait to see what everyone has to say!

Edit: I originally posted this a little too early and also with incorrect dates. Everything has now been corrected, and my apologies for any confusion.