The Crestwood Development staff had a recent team sharing session. One of the things they went over were some great tips and tricks for SQL that we thought you might enjoy too. Index-Friendly Operators If you have indexes in your databases, using index-friendly operators can speed up searching. Indexes identify what data we really care … Read more
Repost from Avalara With the myriad of responsibilities involved in running a successful business, it should come as no surprise that preparing for a sales and use tax audit is not exactly a high priority or favorite topic of conversation among business owners. There are only so many hours in a day, and many companies … Read more
Many of us have run across a situation where a SQL restore just takes FOREVER! Since I had some time on my hands, I decided to search and found this great blog post by Matt Slocum. Seriously, I waited well over an hour for a 58GB database to restore to SQL 2008 (and the restore never completed, … Read more
Extend the life of your fingers and shave minutes off just about everything you do. As a software developer I live and breathe shortcut keys. I use them to quickly navigate between screens, auto type out the current date and time, type my email address, and generate commonly used SQL scripts. All within the reach … Read more
The .Net framework gives developers the powerful option of compiling assemblies targeted for the now-standard x64 platforms or legacy x32 platforms. This is not an issue for most modern software since the typical machine is based on 64-bit architecture and most assemblies are compatible with 64-bit systems. However, the challenge arises when compiling 64-bit assemblies … Read more
Reposted from Avalara Auditors are on the move. While most businesses expect (i.e., dread) to be audited by their home department of revenue, it often comes as a surprise to learn that state tax authorities routinely send auditors to, or hire auditors from, other states to capture unreported sales and use tax revenue. Some states … Read more
Crestwood has been named to the Bob Scott’s Top 100 VAR list for the fourth time, placing 42nd on the list. Members of the Top 100 VARs List were selected based on factors such growth, industry leadership and recognition, and innovation. Chosen firms represent a wide range of sizes and include many different accounting software … Read more
You are trying to create a new SQL user, and you receive the following message, “the server principal ‘xxxx’ already exists’ as below: Ok, maybe that user already exists. You search SQL Management Studio, but cannot find the user associated with any databases or under the main Security node. You can run the query below … Read more
Growth isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach. In fact, companies expend a great deal of energy and resources deciding which pursuits will move the needle the furthest toward achieving specific goals, and where to prioritize their time and investment. Oftentimes sales and use tax gets left out of this equation, especially when it doesn’t appear to directly … Read more
Locking is a part of every SQL Server database. It’s critical functionality and without it, we could not have multiple people working in the same database, at the same time. It ensures data integrity, but can also cause some errors. Example: I was assisting a customer who found their Dynamics GP system was locked up … Read more
States target certain businesses for sales tax audits according to data For most companies, the mere idea of a sales tax audit is a daunting prospect, and “fingers crossed we don’t get picked” is a popular strategy. But for certain types of businesses, just doing what you do can be enough to attract the attention … Read more
Do you ever get tired of typing ‘Select * INTO SourceTable02417 FROM SourceTable’ to make a quick backup of a SQL Sever table? I did, so here’s a quick and dirty little stored procedure to take care of that manual process. Here’s how it works: When you call this Procedure (PROC), simply use the following … Read more
Businesses may feel out of their depth as states look to test the waters on tax compliance in the coming year Sales and use tax compliance can be a complex problem for many businesses. It almost feels like you need a bowie knife to cut through the regulatory red tape, although knowledge may be a … Read more
Did you know you could hide a row on a SSRS report if all the fields on that row are blank? I found a lot of documentation on how to hide a text box, or even a row based a condition or calculation, such as blank, zero or null values. However, I didn’t see much … Read more
Did you know that you can use SQL Stored Procedures (SP’s) as a data source in a Scribe Insight integration? You might have done something similar when you use SP’s as the data source for custom reports. Using SQL Server as a data source in Scribe lends all the power and functionality of SQL Server … Read more
Technology is constantly evolving. With each new version of Dynamics there are improvements, more efficiencies, and new features. Sometimes, there are additional new modules available. But in order to justify the time and effort and expense of an upgrade, you need to make sure the benefits of the latest and greatest are worth it. The … Read more