Have a table (SQL Server 2008) that the user wants to record a fixed 8 character string in. At first glance, a CHAR seems the obvious selection since this value (an 8 character ID, two alpha ...
SQL Server 2008 has a ton of new DBA features, but if you really want to make this thing go, just crank out a little code. SQL Server 2008 is mostly in the domain of system and database administrators ...