Free SQL Server help, 3× a week
Three blog posts a week, plus a Monday roundup of my favorite database news from around the web. No fluff, occasional jokes.
Recorded classes
The Fundamentals of Index Tuning, Query Tuning, and Server Tuning have all been updated as of July 2026, reflecting the latest advancements in the First Responder Kit, AI, and SQL Server 2025. They're perfect for folks who have never been to a formal training class, but are responsible for performance on SQL Server, Azure SQL DB, and Amazon RDS.
Browse the classesLive classes
Get first dibs (and the early-bird price) the moment registration opens.
Need hands-on help? SQL Critical Care® — my 2-day server assessment that finds the root cause and hands you the fix.
See consultingYou're looking at page split numbers in a monitoring tool or Perfmon, and you've heard that page splits are bad, so you're lowering fill factor, expecting your page splits to go down.
You're monitoring the wrong number.
Next month on Saturday, October 17, I'll be speaking at the free Day of Data Orlando. Registration is open now.
The event is 8AM-4PM at the Seminole State College Sanford/Lake Mary Campus at 100 Weldon Boulevard, Partnership Building, Sanford, FL 32773.
Today I'm back in the home office, finishing up teaching Mastering Index Tuning and getting ready to head out on a Mexico cruise. Let's go through your top-voted questions from https://pollgab.com/room/brento.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQWMdAsL4Dc
I teach Microsoft SQL Server performance tuning in a 4-class rotation. The winter rotation is getting ready to start:
Fundamentals Week - November 2-6
Mastering Index Tuning - November 30-Dec 4
Mastering Query Tuning - January 11-15, 2027
Mastering Server Tuning - February 8-12, 2027
