Month: December 2012

Here’s to the Ones Working Today

Last Updated December 31, 2012

Happy New Year’s Eve! And no, I’m not looking for a kiss. Are you working today? I usually did. I’ve been in IT for over a decade, and I worked most holidays (not to mention most weekends). It was the best time to get outage windows to do a lot of things that would help…

Just that it's really, really good food.

Every Consultant Needs Three Things

Last Updated February 12, 2017

Brent Ozar

Consulting, Professional Development

Tired of workin’ for the man? Want to live the glamorous life of jet setting around from place to place, working on really challenging problems, and eating at foodie restaurants? You just need three things. 1. A price. Right now, people probably don’t put a value on your time. You can’t exactly put up an…

sp_BlitzIndex® Holiday Week Edition

Last Updated February 13, 2017

Kendra Little

First Responder Kit, SQL Server

Only one thing could have dragged me away from the soft glow of the electric leg lamp glowing in the window… sp_BlitzIndex® It’s one of those weeks when things get nice and slow. Your business users and managers are all out of the office due to holidays. Your inbox is blissfully quiet. You get a…

My ex-girlfriends would have been surrounded by red and yellow.

The First Step to the Poor Man’s Runbook

Last Updated February 9, 2017

Brent Ozar

Backup and Recovery, Processes and Practices

In theory, before you introduce a new system – database server, load balancer, virtualization infrastructure, etc – you build a robust runbook that documents how you’ll handle every conceivable scenario. When there’s any kind of failure, you’ll simply turn to chapter X and start going through a precise checklist that will guide you to the…

Instant Index Insight: How to Use sp_BlitzIndex® (video)

Last Updated February 13, 2017

Kendra Little

First Responder Kit, Videos

You probably don’t have enough time to dig through DMVs trying to figure out which indexes you should add or drop. Whether you’re a DBA or developer, junior or senior, you’re probably too busy doing your real job to master all the index best practices – and now you don’t have to. In this 30…

I'll give you fifteen minutes to stop that.

sp_Blitz® v16: Snapshots, Recompiles, ShrinkDB, and More

Last Updated March 26, 2014

Brent Ozar

SQL Server

I don’t blog every release of sp_Blitz® (we pushed v15 out silently with a few bug fixes) but we added a lot of improvements and fixes in this version – and by we I mean you. After I blogged about v14’s release earlier this week, that encouraged a lot of people to come out of the woodwork…

sp_Blitz® v14 Adds VLFs, DBCC, Failsafe Operators, and More

Last Updated March 26, 2014

Brent Ozar

SQL Server

Today, we’ve got a big one, and it’s all thanks to you. For the last couple of versions, I haven’t added any big features because I’d been focused on the plan cache improvements. Today, though, we’ve got a big one with all kinds of health-checking improvements – and they’re all thanks to your contributions. Lori…

SQL Server Management Studio: “Include Client Statistics” Button

Last Updated November 28, 2012

Jes Schultz

SQL Server

I’m curious. I like to know how things work. I have to read the user manual of everything I buy so I know all of its features. I like clicking all the buttons in applications I work with. However, SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) has so many I haven’t gotten through all of them. At…

Bob Dylan Explains TempDB (Video)

Last Updated February 13, 2017

Brent Ozar

Humor, TempDB, Videos

How many files must a TempDB have before it’s allowed to be fast? How many table variables must a server walk down before it’s considered a table? The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind, and Bob Dylan will share it with you in this 25-minute video – hopefully you can understand him.

Backups Gone Bad: The Danger of Differentials

Last Updated February 13, 2017

Brent Ozar

Backup and Recovery, SQL Server

As your databases get bigger, you’re going to run out of time to do nightly full backups. You’re going to be tempted by the siren song of differential backups. The idea is that you’ll do full backups on the weekends, and then differential backups each night of the week. Differential backups aren’t just the sum…