If you've been a DBA for any length of time you've found yourself wondering just how long that backup / restore / index reorganization operation is going to take to complete. In this tip we will take a look at how to find the percentage complete along wi
This tip shows how to identify SQL Server databases where log file is too large based on largest transaction log backup compared to current log size.
I'm starting to get interested with the Dynamic Management Views in Microsoft SQL Server. In this tip we look at the DMV sys.dm_os_sys_info and what information you can query and use to manage your SQL Server.
So far I see you have covered persisting SQL Server performance counter values obtained from sys.dm_os_performance_counters and querying the results for buffer pool information. What about the other aspect of SQL Server memory: plan cache? In this tip w
In this tip we look at how to use the SQL Server data that was captured from the DMV sys.dm_os_performance counter.
I'd like to capture and store specific SQL Server performance counters over time, but I don't want to have to set up Performance Monitor to run on each of my SQL Servers - I have too many, and it would take too much hands-on-keyboard computer time to put
Frequently I find myself in situations where I need to insert records into a table in a set-based operation wrapped inside of a transaction where secondarily, and within the same transaction, I spawn-off subsequent inserts into related tables where I need
Check out this tip to learn how to configure a proxy account to allow non-sysadmin users to be able to use xp_cmdshell.
There are seveal ways that you can run an SSIS package and sometimes there may be a need to run a package directly from a query window or from within a stored procedure which can be done using xp_cmdshell. Enabling xp_cmdshell does come with a price; tha
I'm leaving my job as the primary DBA after 10 years. I have a support DBA that will be taking over the primary role. SQL Server creates objects and assigns ownership rights in many cases under the context of the current login. That assuredly means the
I understand that I can use Central Management Servers to run a T/SQL query against multiple instances at once - can I do this without CMS though? In this tip, we look at a simple way to do this.
In my previous tip in this series, I introduced you to the sys.dm_os_performance_counters DMV and showed you how to return information from it. This data is displayed with the current values, so what happens if you want to look at counters over time? In
I make no attempt to hide my dislike for Performance Monitor. Don't get me wrong - it is a good product, but I'm a Transact-SQL kind of guy and I'm at the point after this many years as a SQL Server Professional where I expect to get all my information a
As we continue to discuss Microsoft Access in this series of tips it seemed important to revisit in more detail a tip I produced in 2008 on using Pass-Through Queries inside of Microsoft Access. Just what is a Pass-Through query? It is a construct in Mi
Our topic of this tip is going to be transitioning from being an Access Power User into a role of SQL Server Professional.
We have all faced this issue: a cursory review of a SQL Server instance we manage appears to have logins assigned to multiple server roles whose rights supercede or overlap one-another. I am specifically referring to the situation where a login is a memb
Learn about locking and blocking in SQL Server and why and how it occurs.
Help! My SQL Server database is locking. That can't be good! What should I do?
I have a number of scripts I run against new SQL Server installs to, among other things, create my SQL Server Agent backup jobs. Typically, the jobs for my backup processes are all the same, across my environment with the exception of a few variables. O
In this tip we look at how to use DMV sys.dm_os_wait_stats to help troubleshoot and understand what resources may be slowing down SQL Server.
In August 2009 I wrote a tip concerning checklists for third-party applications running against Microsoft SQL Server. I thought it was a good time to revisit the topic and provide an added bonus: a requirements document that you can download and customiz
One issue DBAs are faced with is growing transaction log files. One reason transaction logs continue to grow is if you have the database in the full or bulk-logged recovery model and do not issue transaction log backups. In this tip I will show a few scr
Learn how to read a SQL Server graphical query plan to help you better understand some of the data you can use to tune queries.
Learn how to identify orphaned logins and groups in SQL Server using the system stored procedure sp_validatelogins.