The Case of the Blocking Online Index Create- the Shared Lock that Would Not Quit
I recently got an interesting question from a reader about running a CREATE INDEX statement with DROP_EXISTING
New weekly newsletter: a SQL Server quiz, poll or cartoon each week
I’ve started up a weekly newsletter! Sign up, and each Tuesday you’ll get a link to a quick SQL Server quiz or poll in your inbox. Most weeks there will be a cartoon thrown in there, too.
New Freebie Course: SSMS Shortcuts & Secrets
SQL Server Management Studio is so full of tiny buttons and options that it can be easy to miss out on secrets that could make your life easier and more fun.
I’ve got a new online course that shows you my favorite secret tricks and goodies in SSMS!.
When SQL Server Does NOT Use Write Ahead Logging (Dear SQL DBA Episode 35)
A few episodes ago, I talked about how learning about Write Ahead Logging was a light bulb moment for me, and helped me learn tons of concepts about backups and recovery.
This week, we talk about when SQL Server turns things upside down and doesn’t use write ahead logging: and what it has to do for recovery in these special cases.
Columnstore Index Returns Zero Rows... Which is One Row
I’ve never claimed to be great at math, but until recently I thought I knew how to count to one. Zero… one. That’s what we learned in kindergarten.
Apparently SQL Server didn’t go to kindergarten.
Time for an Interview: What accomplishment are YOU most proud of?
Last week I answered a set of fun interview questions from Mohammad Darab. One question that he asked really jumped out at me:
What are you most proud of doing/accomplishing for the SQL Server community so far in your career?
Using a Tail Log Backup in a SQL Server Migration (Dear SQL DBA Episode 34)
When you migrate a database, it can be useful to prove that you moved all the data and didn’t miss any transactions. Learn how to use a tail log backup in a migration scenario.
Data Type Mismatches Do Not Always Cause a Bad Implicit Conversion and Index Scan
Here’s a great recent question that I got about query tuning and index use:
Assuming that the documented levels of data type precedence in SQL Server are true as of SQL 2016, why does a bigint value not force an index scan when compared against an int column?
Why Indexes Reduce Locks for Update and Delete Queries
Indexes help queries run faster in SQL Server for several reasons. One of those reasons is that indexes can help your update and delete statements lock fewer rows. And I’m not only talking about shared locks, either.
Stack Dumps in SQL Server (Dear SQL DBA Episode 33)
Learn what a Stack Dump is in SQL Server and watch a demo where I cause a stack dump against a test SQL Server instance under load. Learn how to find information about stack dumps on your SQL Server, and how to escalate them when required.