Memory-Optimized Table-Valued Parameters
November brings me back to my regular weekly posting schedule. I attended PASS Summit 2016 last week, and saw a lot of great sessions. Aside… Read More »Memory-Optimized Table-Valued Parameters
Automation is the new Black
I’ve been toying with the idea of automating a set of diagnostic scripts that I run on customer sites, when doing my checkup. It mirrors… Read More »Automation is the new Black
A dalliance with distance
During a recent engagement, I was tasked with making a query faster. Since I signed an NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement), I can’t go into detail, but… Read More »A dalliance with distance
Max Server Memory Revisited
Some time ago, I added a free resource to this site to help DBAs know how much max server memory should be assigned to SQL… Read More »Max Server Memory Revisited
Should I move my on-premises database to Azure SQL Database?
This week is a shorter post than last week, but it answers a very important question: Should I move my on-premises database to Azure SQL… Read More »Should I move my on-premises database to Azure SQL Database?
Saving Time By Splitting Files for a Backup
During a recent engagement with a client transferring large files from on premises to Azure Storage, we discovered that files over a certain size are automatically… Read More »Saving Time By Splitting Files for a Backup
Expiration Date on Database Backups
What does the expiration date mean on SQL Server database backups? In SQL Server Management Studio, there’s an option in the Back Up Database wizard… Read More »Expiration Date on Database Backups
Is DBCC SHRINKFILE (filename, EMPTYFILE) fully logged?
Update: Paul Randal told me I had made a mistake in my post. The correction is below. On Wednesday last week, Kenneth Fisher (b |… Read More »Is DBCC SHRINKFILE (filename, EMPTYFILE) fully logged?
The ongoing saga of a slow tempdb on a fast server
Last week, I wrote about what should have been a fast system but was performing very poorly, weighing heavily on tempdb I/O performance. Our original… Read More »The ongoing saga of a slow tempdb on a fast server
Survey: Light or Dark
This week I am continuing with the simple survey series. Today my question is, do you prefer using a dark or light background when writing… Read More »Survey: Light or Dark
Survey: Tabs or Spaces
This is my second survey for the month of December. Last week I asked about join predicate order. This week, it’s a simple question: Do… Read More »Survey: Tabs or Spaces
Survey: Join Predicate Order
It’s a quiet month as we look forward to 2016, so I’m asking a series of survey questions for the next few posts. My first… Read More »Survey: Join Predicate Order
Do it now: Date and Number tables
Your production environment needs Date and Number tables, to help you Get Stuff Done in sets instead of RBAR*. Doug Lane has a video on… Read More »Do it now: Date and Number tables
The curious case of RESOURCE_SEMAPHORE
A customer is running in a SQL Server 2000 environment, 32-bit AWE mode, on 64-bit Windows 2003 R2. The server has 16GB of RAM and… Read More »The curious case of RESOURCE_SEMAPHORE
Remove duplicate indexes in SQL Server 2000
With permission from Kimberly Tripp, the creator of the fantastic duplicate index finder for SQL Server 2005 and 2008, I have ported this duplicate index… Read More »Remove duplicate indexes in SQL Server 2000