Sample Code

This section discusses the code found in the database FAST42.MDB. Use this paper in conjunction with the form in that database that lets you test each function.

The sample code consists of functions that directly correspond to the tips given below. All the functions are structured similarly - the slow way comes first, followed by the faster method. The functions are designed to be run with the tables and queries in the "fast42.mdb" database. This database in turn, expects to link to nwind.mdb and a Microsoft SQL Server™ installation with the Pubs database installed to be able to run some of the functions.

Note that benchmarking is a fine art (or perhaps an evil science?), and the code samples do not claim to be exhaustive. They should be taken as indicative only. In particular, no accounting has been made for:

• caching effects from running one technique directly before the other, or

• initial startup or load time. This is particularly an issue for low memory machines. For example, some of the examples that compile a SQL string run much more slowly on a low memory machine, because the query compiler has to be paged into memory to compile the query. On such machines, pre-compiled queries run much faster than SQL strings.

As always, test any improvements you make on the exact machine and software configuration that they will ultimately be used in (including having other programs loaded and minimized if need be).