Blog tag
Posts tagged SQL Server
12 posts tagged "SQL Server".
Stop Clicking: Why dbatools is the Only Way to Manage SQL Server in 2026
If you are still using SQL Server Management Studio for repetitive administrative tasks, you are wasting cycles. The dbatools PowerShell module is a force multiplier that every serious DBA must master.
SQL Server 2025 Standard Edition: Finally, More Than Crumbs for Your Hardware
Microsoft is finally increasing the compute limits for SQL Server 2025 Standard Edition, providing a long-overdue path for scaling without the immediate jump to Enterprise pricing.
sp_checkAG — Check Your SQL Server Availability Groups for Availability Issues
sp\_checkAG is a free stored procedure that surfaces SQL Server Availability Group health issues before they become outages. Learn how to install it, interpret its output, and automate AG monitoring.
SQL Server Always On Failover Troubleshooting: What to Do When the AG Won't Fail Over
Your Always On AG isn't failing over — or it failed over and you don't know why. Here's the step-by-step diagnostic process: checking quorum, synchronization state, lease timeouts, and the DMV queries that tell you exactly what happened and why.
SQL Server 2016 End of Life Is July 14, 2026 — Here's What You Need to Do Now
SQL Server 2016 reaches End of Life on July 14, 2026 — less than 10 weeks away. No more security patches means real compliance exposure. Here's what your options are, what they cost, and what to do in the next 60 days.
SQL Server Backup and Restore Best Practices for Production DBAs
Most SQL Server teams have backups. Far fewer have restores. Here is how to build a backup strategy that actually works when it matters most.
SQL Server Deadlock Troubleshooting: How to Find, Read, and Fix Deadlocks in Production
Deadlocks hit at 2am when your ticketing system is down and the business is screaming. Here is how to capture, read, and eliminate them permanently — using Extended Events, not the deprecated trace flags still clogging search results.
SQL Server Index Tuning: The DBA's Guide to Query Performance
SQL Server index tuning is where query performance lives or dies. Here's the hands-on guide — finding missing indexes with DMVs, the truth about fragmentation thresholds, covering indexes that eliminate key lookups, and the composite index that turned a 47-minute report into a 3-second one.
SQL Server Always On Availability Groups: Configuration, Pitfalls, and the 3am Survival Guide
Always On Availability Groups are SQL Server's most powerful high-availability feature — and the most commonly misconfigured. Here's what 20 years of production DBA experience looks like when a cluster node fails at 3am and you need every setting right.
SQL Server Query Optimization: 10 Techniques Every DBA Should Know
Slow queries are the number one complaint we hear from clients. Here are 10 battle-tested optimization techniques that will slash your query times—some in minutes.
SQL Server Always On Availability Groups: The Complete Setup Guide
Always On AG is SQL Server's flagship HA solution. The setup is complex but the payoff—automatic failover with near-zero data loss—is worth every step. Here's the full walkthrough.
SQL Server Blocking and Deadlocks: Diagnosis and Prevention
Blocking brings applications to their knees. Deadlocks cause transaction rollbacks your users notice. Both are diagnosable and fixable—here's the complete guide.