Greg Robidoux

Greg Robidoux is the President and founder of Edgewood Solutions, a technology services company delivering services and solutions for Microsoft SQL Server. Greg is also a co-founder of MSSQLTips.com. He has been working with SQL Server since 1999 and has authored numerous articles and delivered several presentations online and at local and national SQL Server events.

Analysis Services Tutorials

Getting Started with SQL Server Analysis Services (last update: 1/30/2007)

Auditing and Compliance

Auditing your SQL Server database and server permissions (last update: 6/2/2018)

Backup

Automating Transaction Log Backups for All SQL Server Databases (last update: 8/28/2007)
Backup to multiple files for faster and smaller SQL Server files (last update: 6/5/2006)
Changing the default SQL Server backup folder (last update: 1/18/2016)
CLR function to delete older backup and log files in SQL Server (last update: 5/29/2018)
COPY_ONLY Backups with SQL Server (last update: 6/6/2013)
Encrypt and safeguard your SQL Server database backups (last update: 5/22/2007)
Issues with SQL Server backup log with no_log or truncate_only (last update: 3/27/2008)
Simple script to backup all SQL Server databases (last update: 5/16/2019)
SQL Server backup and restore to network drive (last update: 12/7/2006)
SQL Server Backup Plan (last update: 7/12/2007)
SQL Server Backup Tutorial (last update: 5/31/2011)
Stop logging all successful backups in your SQL Server error logs (last update: 3/18/2008)
Using passwords with SQL Server database backup files (last update: 11/8/2006)
What is in your SQL Server backup files? (last update: 1/4/2007)

Clustering

HA and DR Solutions for SQL Server Cloud Based Implementations (last update: 10/14/2014)

Comparison Data and Objects

Listing SQL Server Object Dependencies (last update: 7/26/2007)
SQL Server tablediff command line utility (last update: 9/25/2006)

Constraints

Disable, enable, drop and recreate SQL Server Foreign Keys (last update: 11/19/2007)
Finding and fixing SQL Server database constraint issues (last update: 5/11/2007)
Finding primary keys and missing primary keys in SQL Server (last update: 7/3/2019)
How to create a SQL Server foreign key (last update: 4/4/2017)
Identify all of your foreign keys in a SQL Server database (last update: 1/5/2007)

Data Transformation Services

SQL Server DTS command line utility (last update: 6/26/2006)

Data Types

How to get length of Text, NText and Image columns in SQL Server (last update: 2/27/2007)

Database Administration

Different ways to determine free space for SQL Server databases and database files (last update: 7/30/2009)
How to determine SQL Server database transaction log usage (last update: 4/18/2007)
How to rename a SQL Server database (last update: 4/29/2019)
Retrieving SQL Server Database Properties with DATABASEPROPERTYEX (last update: 8/4/2006)
SQL Database Snapshots for Reporting, Auditing and Data Recovery (last update: 6/30/2006)

Database Console Commands DBCCs

DBCC SHOWCONTIG Blocking Issues in SQL Server (last update: 3/9/2007)
SQL Server 2005 DBCC CHECKDB with DATA_PURITY command (last update: 11/21/2006)
SQL Server Database Integrity Checks Checklist (last update: 7/27/2007)

Database Design

Modify SQL Server database tables to keep similar columns together (last update: 7/13/2007)
Retrieving SQL Server Column Properties with COLUMNPROPERTY (last update: 6/28/2007)
Simple way to create tables in SQL Server using Excel (last update: 8/29/2006)

Database Mail

Setting up Database Mail for SQL Server (last update: 9/2/2017)
SQL Server 2005 Database Mail Install Hangs (last update: 6/8/2007)
Troubleshooting SQL Server sp_send_dbmail Error Failed to Initialize SQLCMD Library (last update: 6/11/2018)

Database Mirroring

Adjusting the automatic failover time for SQL Server Database Mirroring (last update: 10/13/2008)
Database Mirroring Automating Failover for Multiple SQL Server Databases (last update: 8/18/2008)

DBA Best Practices

Defining and Establishing SQL Server Policies and Procedures (last update: 8/9/2007)
SQL Server Comparison Tools (last update: 8/7/2019)
SQL Server DBA database management checklist (last update: 7/3/2007)

Debugging

Debugging SQL Server CLR functions, triggers and stored procedures (last update: 11/11/2008)

Dynamic Management Views and Functions

Finding a SQL Server process percentage complete with DMVs (last update: 9/26/2007)
Using SQL Server DMVs to Identify Missing Indexes (last update: 11/25/2008)

Dynamic SQL

Execute Dynamic SQL commands in SQL Server (last update: 11/16/2018)
SQL Server Video Creating Dynamic SQL Commands (last update: 7/1/2014)

Encryption

Decrypting SQL Server database objects (last update: 8/23/2006)

Error Handling

SQL Server 2005 Try and Catch Exception Handling (last update: 7/26/2006)

Error Logs

Simple way to find errors in SQL Server error log (last update: 7/5/2018)

Express Edition

Free Job Scheduling Tool for SQL Server Express and MSDE (last update: 10/10/2006)
Scheduling Backups for SQL Server Express (last update: 2/7/2007)
Send Email from SQL Server Express Using a CLR Stored Procedure (last update: 9/1/2016)

Fragmentation and Index Maintenance

Managing SQL Server Database Fragmentation (last update: 1/25/2007)
Selectively rebuild indexes with SQL Server maintenance plans (last update: 12/8/2006)
SQL Server Index Maintenance Checklist (last update: 9/27/2007)
SQL Server script to rebuild all indexes for all tables and all databases (last update: 5/22/2019)

Functions - System

Dynamically controlling the number of rows affected by a SQL Server query (last update: 7/8/2008)
Randomly Retrieve SQL Server Records (last update: 6/29/2006)
Retrieving random data from SQL Server with TABLESAMPLE (last update: 8/14/2007)
SQL Server Text Data Manipulation (last update: 7/25/2006)

Functions - User Defined UDF

CLR String Sort Function in SQL Server (last update: 5/29/2018)
SQL Server CLR and SQL split functions to parse a delimited string (last update: 1/14/2013)
Standardize Text with Multi Search and Replace Function in SQL Server (last update: 8/25/2010)

Identities

Add or drop identity property for an existing SQL Server column (last update: 1/4/2008)
Auto create identity insert SQL Server command to sync tables (last update: 6/10/2010)
Managing and maintaining SQL Server identity values (last update: 12/5/2006)
Populate a SQL Server column with a sequential number not using an identity (last update: 2/1/2018)
Retrieve identity column properties for SQL Server database tables (last update: 6/29/2007)
Using Identity Insert to keep SQL Server table keys in sync (last update: 9/26/2006)

Import and Export

Different Options for Importing Data into SQL Server (last update: 10/29/2012)
Minimally Logging Bulk Load Inserts into SQL Server (last update: 8/1/2018)

Indexing

Building SQL Server Indexes in Ascending vs Descending Order (last update: 8/2/2018)
Deeper insight into used and unused indexes for SQL Server (last update: 6/2/2018)
Finding a better candidate for your SQL Server clustered indexes (last update: 12/9/2008)
How to get index usage information in SQL Server (last update: 5/8/2007)
Retrieving SQL Server Index Properties with INDEXPROPERTY (last update: 8/11/2006)
SQL Server Clustered Tables vs Heap Tables (last update: 7/3/2019)
SQL Server Index Analysis Script for All Indexes on All Tables (last update: 6/19/2006)
Understanding SQL Server Indexing (last update: 3/22/2007)

Integration Services Configuration Options

Pass dynamic parameter values to SQL Server Integration Services (last update: 12/17/2007)

Integration Services Control Flow Transformations

Dynamic SQL Server Integration Services SSIS workflow based on variables (last update: 4/29/2008)

Integration Services Data Flow Transformations

Merge multiple data sources with SQL Server Integration Services (last update: 9/5/2007)

Integration Services Development

Strip double quotes from an import file in Integration Services SSIS (last update: 8/24/2007)

Integration Services Excel

Import Excel unicode data with SQL Server Integration Services (last update: 10/22/2012)

Integration Services Performance

Making data imports into SQL Server as fast as possible (last update: 11/20/2007)

Integration Services Upgrade

SQL Server 2000 to SQL Server 2008 DTS Package Conversion Runtime Issue (last update: 11/15/2010)

JOIN Tables

Compare SQL Server Datasets with INTERSECT and EXCEPT (last update: 9/11/2007)
Join SQL Server tables where columns include NULL values (last update: 3/4/2008)
UNION vs. UNION ALL in SQL Server (last update: 12/5/2007)

Locking and Blocking

Finding and troubleshooting SQL Server deadlocks (last update: 8/9/2006)
Understanding the SQL Server NOLOCK hint (last update: 4/29/2019)

Log Shipping

SQL Server Log Shipping (last update: 1/17/2007)

Maintenance

Maintenance task to delete old SQL Server backup files (last update: 9/6/2007)
Performing maintenance tasks in SQL Server (last update: 7/7/2006)
SQL Server transaction log backups always fail with maintenance plan (last update: 4/10/2007)
Supporting tables for SQL Server 2005 style maintenance plans (last update: 12/18/2006)

Monitoring

Determining space used for all tables in a SQL Server database (last update: 8/17/2018)
Getting operating system content into SQL Server (last update: 2/6/2007)
Methods to determine the status of a SQL Server database (last update: 4/15/2008)
Monitoring SQL Server database transaction log space (last update: 2/13/2007)
Problems running sp_helpdb in SQL Server (last update: 4/6/2007)
Reading the SQL Server log files using TSQL (last update: 1/1/2017)
SQL Server Command Line Tools To Manage Your Server (last update: 7/28/2006)

Partitioning

Handling Large SQL Server Tables with Data Partitioning (last update: 3/15/2007)
Switching data in and out of a SQL Server 2005 data partition (last update: 1/7/2008)

Performance Tuning

Avoid SQL Server functions in the WHERE clause for Performance (last update: 5/3/2007)
Correlating Performance Monitor and SQL Server Profiler Data (last update: 6/2/2018)
Gather IO statistics down to the SQL Server database file level (last update: 6/10/2013)
Optimize Parameter Driven Queries with SQL Server OPTIMIZE FOR Hint (last update: 10/18/2007)
Remove some SQL Server blocking issues with the NOLOCK hint (last update: 4/27/2007)
SQL Server Database Specific Performance Counters (last update: 6/14/2007)
SQL Server statements currently running with fn_get_sql (last update: 6/27/2006)
Troubleshooting Performance Problems in SQL Server 2005 (last update: 1/31/2007)

Profiler and Trace

SQL Server Performance Statistics Using a Server Side Trace (last update: 11/26/2012)

Query Optimization

Crosstab queries using PIVOT in SQL Server (last update: 3/22/2019)
Using Derived Tables to Simplify the SQL Server Query Process (last update: 8/16/2006)

Query Plans

Capturing Graphical Query Plans with SQL Server Profiler (last update: 6/2/2018)
Maximizing your view into SQL Query Plans (last update: 11/5/2007)

Recovery Models

Selecting the SQL Server database recovery model to ensure proper backups (last update: 5/13/2008)

Replication

Change Not For Replication Value for SQL Server Identity Columns (last update: 5/3/2019)
Replication support only option with SQL Server 2005 replication (last update: 11/20/2006)
SQL Server 2005 Peer to Peer Replication (last update: 8/7/2006)
Transactional Replication Snapshot Issues in SQL Server (last update: 6/21/2007)

Reporting Services Overview

Getting Started with Reporting Services (last update: 10/9/2007)

Restore

Auto generate SQL Server database restore scripts (last update: 5/14/2007)
Auto generate SQL Server restore script from backup files in a directory (last update: 9/16/2008)
Getting exclusive access to restore SQL Server databases (last update: 1/8/2008)
SQL Server Database Restores Mapping Users to Logins (last update: 9/15/2006)
SQL Server point in time recovery (last update: 4/26/2007)
SQL Server Restore Tutorial (last update: 6/7/2011)

Scripts

Capture all statements for a SQL Server session (last update: 3/18/2009)
Cross tab queries with SQL Server 2000 (last update: 6/15/2006)
Executing a TSQL batch multiple times using GO (last update: 4/5/2007)
Find text strings in character data types using SQL Server LIKE Operator (last update: 10/8/2007)
Recursive queries with SQL Server 2000 (last update: 8/30/2006)
Scripting SQL Server Database Objects Using DMO (last update: 8/22/2006)
Searching and finding a string value in all columns in a SQL Server table (last update: 1/31/2016)
SQL Server Find and Replace Values in All Tables and All Text Columns (last update: 8/5/2008)
Standardize SQL Server data with text lookup and replace function (last update: 3/18/2019)

Security

Enabling xp_cmdshell in SQL Server (last update: 6/5/2018)
Giving and removing permissions in SQL Server (last update: 12/19/2006)
Granting permission with the EXECUTE AS command in SQL Server (last update: 4/20/2007)
Hiding instances of SQL Server 2005 (last update: 3/7/2007)

SQL Server Agent

Accessing SQL Server Agent Data (last update: 5/15/2007)
Automatic cleanup of SQL Server Agent scheduled jobs (last update: 12/20/2006)
Collect Performance Monitor Statistics for SQL Server Agent Jobs (last update: 3/28/2007)
How to store longer SQL Agent Job Step output messages (last update: 6/2/2018)
Missing SQL Server Agent History (last update: 6/20/2007)
Setting Up Alerts for All SQL Server Agent Jobs (last update: 10/26/2006)

SQL Server Configurations

Find Last Restart of SQL Server (last update: 9/19/2011)
How to tell what SQL Server version you are running (last update: 1/16/2018)
Setting SQL Server Startup Parameters (last update: 7/1/2019)

SQL Server Management Studio

Assign shortcuts to commands in SQL Server Management Studio (last update: 7/17/2007)
Build code using the SQL Server object browsers drag and drop (last update: 5/16/2007)
Copy column headers and query results in SQL Server Management Studio (last update: 11/7/2006)
Drag and drop query result columns in SQL Server Management Studio (last update: 1/18/2007)
Dynamic SQL Server stored procedure execution form in SSMS (last update: 11/16/2007)
Scripting out TSQL commands generated by SQL Server Management Studio (last update: 5/23/2008)
SQL Query Analyzer Shortcuts (last update: 7/5/2006)
Using Solutions and Projects to manage your SQL Server code (last update: 11/1/2007)

Stored Procedures

Getting started with SQL Server stored procedures (last update: 5/9/2008)
SET NOCOUNT ON Improves SQL Server Stored Procedure Performance (last update: 4/19/2007)
SQL Server Stored Procedure Tutorial (last update: 6/21/2011)

System Databases

Move all SQL Server system databases at one time (last update: 9/5/2011)

T-SQL

Delete duplicate rows with no primary key on a SQL Server table (last update: 5/15/2018)
Determining SET Options for a Current Session in SQL Server (last update: 1/18/2008)
Limit amount of data returned with the SQL Server TEXTSIZE command (last update: 12/19/2007)
Problem using DISTINCT in case insensitive SQL Server databases (last update: 5/27/2008)
Renaming SQL Server database objects and changing object owners (last update: 12/21/2007)
SQL Server Bitwise operators to store multiple values in one column (last update: 4/9/2018)
SQL Server Four part naming (last update: 11/6/2006)

Testing

Create delays in SQL Server processes to mimic user input (last update: 1/30/2008)

Tools

Finding SQL Server Code Errors using Query Analyzer (last update: 10/27/2006)
Free SQL Server tools from Microsoft (last update: 7/6/2006)
How does Enterprise Manager get its data (last update: 6/20/2006)
SQL Formatter Tool (last update: 6/7/2006)
SQL Server Documentation Tools (last update: 3/28/2019)

Triggers

Auditing DDL (Create, Alter, Drop) Commands in SQL Server 2005 (last update: 6/22/2006)

Upgrades and Migrations

Applying SQL Server Service Packs (last update: 9/10/2007)
Issue with SQL Server 2005 SP2 (last update: 3/8/2007)
SQL Server 2005 Service Pack 2 (last update: 1/22/2007)
SQL Server 2008 has arrived (last update: 6/6/2007)
Upgrading SQL Server databases and changing compatibility levels (last update: 2/18/2008)

Views

Using Views to Simplify Data Access in SQL Server (last update: 10/5/2007)

Virtualization

Access to SQL Server 2008 Virtual Environment (last update: 1/16/2008)

XML

BCP XML Format Files with SQL Server 2005 (last update: 9/28/2006)

Tutorials DBA Dev BI Career Categories Webcasts Scripts Today's Tip Join

Tutorials DBA Dev BI Categories Webcasts

DBA Dev BI Categories

Greg Robidoux

More SQL Server Solutions