I’ve created a sample ads extension that checks TSQL syntax in real-time for potential bad practice.
Category: Administration
Why is the XLOCK table hint broken?
Let’s talk about what XLOCK is supposed to do. XLOCK is a table hint that can be applied to a query to place an exclusive lock on the resources that the query accesses. This can be very dangerous because an exclusive lock on a table or partition could cause significant performance concerns.
I’ve added data classifications. Now what?
About a year ago I wrote about a new feature in SSMS that allows you to add a data classification to your columns. Today we’ll discuss what happens behind the scene and how to look at the classifications later.
Free SQL tuning tool: How’s My Database?
It’s taken longer than I thought it may and I’ve run into several problems along the way but had a few people in the MVP community swing some homeruns to help me complete the BETA of this new SQL Server community query tuning tool.
Hello Denver! I’m speaking this weekend
For those of you in the Denver area, SQL Saturday is this weekend! I’m speaking and hope to see you there.
If you haven’t registered yet, no problem. The details are here:
http://www.sqlsaturday.com/774/eventhome.aspx
There’s a ton of great speakers and you don’t want to miss this one.
Are scalar functions really a bad thing?
I’ve read a lot of things lately pointing to scalar functions as if they were the devil. In this blog I’m going to explore if that’s the case. Let’s have a look.
SQL Saturday Houston is this weekend
I’m speaking along with many other amazingly talented professionals, including Adam from Guy In A Cube. If you’re in the Houston, TX area be sure to head over to the SQL Saturday website to register. You can find more details here: http://www.sqlsaturday.com/766/eventhome.aspx
There are over 50 sessions across 6 different tracks; so, there’s plenty to learn for everyone! My session is a guide to troubleshooting performance for DBAs and developers.
Hope to see you there!
You know everything about GROUP BY. Do you?
SQL is a stout language and SQL Server has so many features that it’s impossible to be an expert in everything. I see a lot of people gravitate towards performance; but, that’s not the best place to focus. If you don’t know the fundamentals of the language then you will never be the best performance tuner.Read More »
Back to basics: What is a HEAP table?
Understanding the fundamentals is key for success, with everything you do. These days SQL Server has expanded into much more than just a database; but, products that ingest data for analysis still need to get the data from a source, such as an OLTP SQL database.Read More »
SQL Tuning: Finding statements for missing indexes
Missing indexes are an important part of the indexing strategy. I usually start with sys.dm_db_index_usage_stats to find both inefficient and unused indexes and then supplement with missing indexes.
The missing index DMVs are great but they’ve always been missing something.
SQL TECH BLOG 