In a recent forum message, Carrow wrote:

"I am using sql server management studio express 2005 and it does not have import/export functionality. I was wondering if sql server management express 2008 has these functionalities or not and it possible to use to connect to sql server 2005?"

Can you help? Interested in answers to the same question? Visit the About Databases Forum and join the discussion!

The Structured Query Language (SQL) provides database users with the ability to create customized queries to extract information from databases. In an earlier article, we explored extracting information from a database using SQL SELECT queries. Let's expand upon that discussion and explore how you can perform advanced queries to retrieve data that matches specific conditions.

Read the full tutorial: Selecting Data Within Ranges in SQL

SQL's UNION command allows you to combine the results of two or more database queries that are not necessarily linked through a database relationship. For example, imagine that you have a school database and wish to use it to create a master contact list for all students, faculty and staff. Looking at your database, you discover that the records corresponding to each of these constituencies appears in separate database tables.

Your first instinct might be to export the data from each table into a spreadsheet and combine the information there. However, you can combine these records within your database by writing separate queries for each constituency and combining the results of those queries with the UNION statement.

Read the full article: Combining Query Results with SQL's UNION Statement

After sending out your holiday cards last year, did you make yourself a promise that you would organize your address list to make the process easier next year? Do you have a huge Excel spreadsheet that you can't make heads or tails of? Maybe your address book looks something like the one shown in the file below. Or, perhaps, you keep your address book on (gasp!) scraps of paper.

It's time to make good on that promise to yourself -- organize your contact list into a Microsoft Access database. It's much easier than you may imagine and you'll definitely be pleased with the results. This tutorial will walk you through the entire process step-by-step.

If you're using Access 2007, read: Converting Excel to Access 2007
If you're using Access 2010, read: Converting Excel to Access 2010