Posts by Jes Schultz

Problem: your database server’s performance stinks like Limburger cheese. Photo courtesy of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wisconsin_Limburger_Cheese.JPG Solution: find the queries that are making that smell. Hiding in Plain Sight Your database server knows exactly which queries are performing the worst. When queries are executed, the execution plans – and associated execution statistics – are stored in memory (with…

I could be talking about the tables in my database – I do make them skinny by using the right data types – but in this case I’m talking about SQL Server Reporting Services tables. You’ve seen them before. The average table is bland and boring, with nothing to distinguish it from the next, and…

Last week, I went to summer camp for geeks, and I had a great time! That Conference is a three-day, developer-focused, family-friendly technology conference. Camp was held for the first time in 2012. I heard such great things about it from last year’s campers that I decided to go this year! The sessions focused on…

Do you want to make your database server faster? If you answered no, you can go back to manually checking that all of last night’s backups succeeded. If you answered yes, think about all the ways you can do this. From proper database design to the right hardware for your workload to proper indexes, you…

No one knows everything, especially about SQL Server. When you encounter a problem, especially for the first time, you may not know how to solve it. I’ve seen some crazy approaches taken to fix problems – like duct tape on a car. Many times, instead of fixing the root cause of a problem, such as…

They are elusive and hard to spot in the wild, but they exist: rare index options that can enhance the performance of your queries. If you have a solid knowledge of index basics and want to add to your collection, this is the session for you! In this 30-minute video, Jes will show you how…

Some parts of our jobs are not glamorous, but necessary. For example, I have to brush Brent’s Bob Dylan wig weekly, to make sure it’s shiny and perfect. Documentation is a task many people roll their eyes at, procrastinate about starting, have a hard time keeping up-to-date, and in general avoid. Stop avoiding it, and…

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…

At PASS Summit last week, I presented “The What, Why, And How of Filegroups” to a packed room. It was great to see so many people eager to learn about something that is fundamental to every SQL Server database, but often not understood well enough. As always, during and after the session, there were a…