SQL transaction for safety

In SQL studio, whenever an update to a table is perform, always test it first using TRANSACTION command. This ensures the execution of the query in its entity, and we can also have a preview on how the data will look like after the query execution.

DECLARE @TransactionName varchar(20) = 'Transaction1';
BEGIN TRAN @TransactionName

delete from C70_XTABLE
where C70_XTABLE_ID like '%Colleague%'

select * from C70_XTABLE

ROLLBACK TRAN @TransactionName;

After executing the whole query block, the data will remain unchanged, and we will have a sneak peek of what the query will do.

* Edit: The whole block can be written as:

begin transaction
(sql queries here)
rollback transaction

How to test computed column in MS SQL Server Management Studio

To test computed column, I would fire up SQL server management studio, in Object Exploere, drill down to your dev/test/prod database, then to Programmability, then Functions, then Scalar-valued Functions. Mine is:

Colleague18_test_db/Programmability/Functions/Scalar-valued Functions/

For example, to test out computed column C70_PER_TODAYS_DATE, which takes a PERSON.ID as an argument, here is the query I would use:

SELECT [colleague18_test_db].[dbo].[C70_PER_TODAYS_DATE] ('myIDNumber')

If you don't see your computed column in Scalar-valued Functions, I recommend recompiling/reinstalling the computed column again.