Inspired by Itzik Ben Gan’s Geekiest Sig Challenge and Michael Cole’s virtual Christmas Card. I came up with a query that forces SQL Server’s spatial results tab to display something pretty. In recognition of Valentine’s Day, I chose a detail of Botticelli’s Birth of Venus.

The Query

The query isn’t too large, but it’s 120 KB, you can download it here:

https://michaeljswart.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/venus.sql

The Results

The Process

First reduce the color depth to a given color pallet (SQL Server’s icky pastels). I personally use a custom technique for this.

Use a program like Adobe Illustrator to turn into an svg file.

From there use your C# and VI savvy to convert into a SQL query.

Cheers guys