I’ve been working with SQL Server since what seems like forever ++1. The truth is I haven’t been a production DBA in more than 6 years (I work in marketing now, in case you didn’t know). That means I will soon hit a point in my life where I will be an ex-DBA for the same period of time as I was a production DBA (about seven years).
Five Common Problems with SQL Server
The Future is Always Bright
In my last couple of posts, I’ve tried to paint a picture of the past and present of database management and monitoring. We’ve seen that good database performance has everything…
Hardware or Code? SQL Server Performance Examined
CPUs are running faster now than ever before, solid-state drives are replacing spinning disks, and database servers have terabytes of RAM. Because these resources are plentiful and increasingly affordable, it can seem tempting to solve database performance issues with hardware. But consider this example: if CPU utilization shoots up to 90% on one of your servers and stays at that level for a day or two, is the problem lack of CPU power or something else?
How to Recover the Master Database in SQL Server 2012
In my seven years as a production DBA, I can count on one hand the number of times I have need to restore the master database as a result of…
Connect to Windows Azure Virtual Machine Using SSMS
In 2013, Microsoft made it available for customers to utilize virtual machines running in Windows Azure. This allowed customers to run an on-premises version of SQL Server, but have the…
Changing Default Database File Locations in SQL Server
When you create a database in SQL Server and do not specify a file location for your data and log files, SQL Server will rely on the default locations as…
Improve SQL Server Performance by Looking at Plan Cache (Part 1)
The SQL Server plan cache stores details on statements that are executed over time. Each time a statement executes, SQL Server will look inside the plan cache first to see…
SQL Server Consolidation, Part 3
I wrote a couple of posts previously on SQL Server consolidation. The first post tried to give insight on some of the problems and associated motivating factors that most companies have…
SQL Server Consolidation, Part 2
Consider for a moment that you have a deck attached to your house. It is one story above ground level and is growing weaker with each passing year. The former…
SQL Server Consolidation, Part 1
I am seeing more than a handful of articles these days regarding SQL Server virtualization and/or consolidation. Lots of companies are coming forward to provide you tools that will take…