How do I concatenate characters or strings using SQL?

Concatenation (joining 2 or more characters or strings of the same data type) is accomplished using the "+" operator. For example, let's say that I want to join the strings "Able" and "Baker". To do so, I would simply write:

select 'Windows' + 'Vista' as OSName
Running this query would return:

OSName
------------
WindowsVista
OK so far, but what if you want a space between "Windows" and "Vista"? That could be accomplished in 2 ways: Either by including it in one of our existing strings (i.e. "Windows " or " Vista"), as in:

select 'Windows ' + 'Vista' as OSName
or by adding an additional concatenation operator:

select 'Windows' + ' ' + 'Vista' as OSName
Both methods return the desire result:

OSName
-------------
Windows Vista
A more useful example that also demonstrates the "of the same data type" caveat mentioned above:

select 'Today is: ' + convert(varchar(10), getdate(), 101) as Today
would return:

Today
--------------------
Today is: 01/05/2008
However, if we failed to convert result of getdate() into a varchar, we would receive an error similar to:

Today
----------------------
Msg 241, Level 16, State 1, Line 1
Conversion failed when converting datetime from character string.
For additional information, please visit: http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms177561.aspx

How do I determine whether I am running the 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows Vista?

Method 1:

1. From the keyboard, press: Windows Key + R. The Run dialog will display.
2. Type: control then press Enter. The Control Panel will display.
3. Double-click: System (in Classic view) - or- System and Maintenance > System (in the Control Panel Home view).
4. In the right pane, locate System Type.
• 32-bit version will show either: 32-bit Operating System -or- x86-based PC
• 64-bit version will show either: 64-bit Operating System -or- x64-based PC

Method 2:

1. From the keyboard, press: Windows Key then type: system.
2. From the Programs list, click: System Information. The System Information window will display.
3. Click: System Symmary (if not already selected) in the left pane.
4. In the right pane, locate System Type.
   • 32-bit version will show either: 32-bit Operating System -or- x86-based PC
   • 64-bit version will show either: 64-bit Operating System -or- x64-based PC

How do I configure Windows Update - Windows Vista

1. From the keyboard, press: Windows Key + R. The Run dialog will display.
2. Type: control then press Enter. The Control Panel will display.
3. Double-click: Windows Update (in Classic view) - or- System and Maintenance > Windows Update (in the Control Panel Home or Category view).
4. In the left pane, click: Change Settings.
5. Make the desired changes then click: OK.

How do I uninstall programs - Windows Vista?

1. Close all open applications.
2. From the desktop, press: Windows Key + R to display the Run dialog.
3. Type: "control" then press Enter. The Control Panel will display.
4. Double-click: Programs and Features. A list of the currently installed programs will be displayed.
5. Left-click the desired program then click Uninstall.
6. Follow the prompts to remove the program from your system.
   * Though not normally required, it is often a good idea to restart your computer once the uninstallation is complete.
7. Congratulations, you have successfully uninstalled a program from Windows Vista.

How do I change the Start menu to Classic (XP/2000) view - Windows Vista?

1. From the desktop, right-click on an empty portion of the Task Bar then click Properties.
2. Select the Start Menu tab.
3. Click the Classic Start menu option then click OK.
4. The Start menu will now appear as it did in previous versions of Windows.

How do I access the Run dialog - Windows Vista?

1. From the keyboard, press: Windows Key + R. The Run dialog will be displayed.

How do I change the Control Panel to Classic (XP/2000) view - Windows Vista?

1. From the keyboard, press: Windows Key + R. The Run dialog will display.
2. Type: control then press Enter. The Control Panel will display.
3. In the left pane, click Classic View. To return to the default category view, simply repeat #1 and #2 then click Control Panel Home.

How do I disable the clicking sounds when new Web pages load in Internet Explorer - Windows Vista?

1. From the keyboard, press: Windows Key + R. The Run dialog will display.
2. Type: control then press Enter. The Control Panel will display.
3. Double-click: Sound (in Classic view) - or- Hardware and Sound followed by: Sound (in the Control Panel Home or Category view).
4. Click the Sounds tab then scroll down and locate: Start Navigation. Left-click Start Navigation to select it.
5. From the Sounds pulldown, click: (None).
6. Click OK.

How do I prevent open Internet Explorer windows from being reused when I click links - Windows Vista?

1. From the keyboard, press: Windows Key + R. The Run dialog will display.
2. Type: control then press Enter. The Control Panel will display.
3. Double-click: Internet Options (in Classic view) - or- Network and Internet followed by: Internet Options (in the Control Panel Home or Category view). The Internet Properties window is displayed.
4. Click the Advanced tab.
5. Scroll down and locate: Reuse windows for launching shortcuts.
6. Disable this option by clearing the checkbox.
7. Click OK then close the Control Panel.