What Defines Undocumented?

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When I describe something as an undocumented SQL Server feature, I'm referring to a feature that is not mentioned in the product documentation, i.e., in the Books Online. Some of these can be found in other publicly available Microsoft documentation; some can't. From the perspective of this chapter, if it isn't in the Books Online, it isn't documented.

In addition to undocumented procedures, I'll also talk about undocumented DBCC command verbs, undocumented functions, and undocumented trace flags. None of these lists is exhaustive, but you're still likely to discover an undocumented feature or two that you didn't know about. Regardless of whether you use the features, it's still good to know about them, if for no other reason than to give you a glimpse of how SQL Server works behind the scenes. This is why I've included coverage of undocumented routines in this bookto help you master SQL Server.

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