Blogs

Sliding Window Table Partitioning: What to Decide Before You Automate

February 2, 2016

Before you do all the work to map out a complex sliding window table partitioning scheme for your SQL Server tables, here’s the top five questions I’d think through carefully: 1) Do You Need Table Partitioning? Some folks think they need partitioning for performance– but it really shines as a data management feature. Just because you’ve got tables with millions of rows in them doesn’t necessarily mean that partitioning will make queries faster.

How to Check if an Index Exists on a Table in SQL Server

in sql

January 28, 2016

It seems like this should be easy. But it’s not.

How to Fix Lopsided Partitioned Tables

in sql

January 26, 2016

Over the years I’ve gotten lots of emails and questions from students that start like this:

Help! My partitioned table has the wrong data in a partition! It’s lopsided. I started trying to fix it, but…

Does Query Store Regressed Queries View Catch Nasty Parameter Sniffing?

in sql

January 21, 2016

SQL Server 2016’s new Query Store feature has an option that looks for “regressed” query plans.

But does it catch “bad” parameter sniffing?

How to Find Missing Index Requests in Query Store

in sql

January 19, 2016

SQL Server 2016’s new Query Store feature makes it easier than ever for DBAs and developers to identify the most important queries to tune– and perhaps apply a quick fix by pinning an execution plan.

3 Things I Wish I Learned Earlier as a SQL Server DBA

in sql

January 14, 2016

Hindsight is everything. I was lucky to be trained by a great team of DBAs back when I first started with SQL Server. But it’s hard to know exactly what you really need to know, particularly as new tools are becoming available.

Useful Whitepapers for Planning SQL Server Migrations

in sql

January 12, 2016

Planning to move to new hardware for your SQL Server? Techniques like log shipping and database mirroring can be incredibly useful to make the change fast and painless– but you’ve got to pick the right techniques for your environment ahead of time, and know how to do a few things that aren’t in the GUI.

Here are some of my favorite whitepapers and resources to get you going.

New Class! SQL Server Index Formulas: Problems and Solutions for $99 in Huntington Beach, California

in sql

January 7, 2016

My new one day training session, “SQL Server Index Formulas: Problems and Solutions”, is now available for just $99!

Join me at SQLBits for a Day of Index Design and Tuning

in sql

December 30, 2015

Wednesday, May 4, 2016 Liverpool Exhibition Centre One day session* **£349 until April 9, 2016. £399 thereafter – This training day has sold out!*

I will be presenting this session in a Training Day at the SQLBits conference in Liverpool, UK. Reserve your seat for this one day session here.

Why Teaching Makes You a Better DBA and Performance Tuner

in sql

December 29, 2015

I’ve known for a long time now that teaching makes me a better database administrator and performance tuner. But I’ve had a hard time figuring out why.