To remove completion time from the Messages tab in SSMS, clear one check box in the options. This post gives the exact steps for SSMS 22, explains why no T-SQL setting controls the line and says why old query windows keep showing it. It also shows how to print a time yourself, when a script needs one.
Setup Error 25641: Event File Target Parameter Invalid in SQL Server
Setup error 25641 stopped a SQL Server 2012 installation in a client environment. The ERRORLOG said the filename parameter for the event_file target was invalid. Process Monitor showed Access Denied for the service account on the drive that holds the LOG folder.
go-sqlcmd: The New Command Line Tool for SQL Server
Set up go-sqlcmd on Windows, verify the executable, run scripts and variables, control output, and review optional container commands.
SCHEMABINDING View: What You Can Change in the Table
A SCHEMABINDING view locks the columns it uses and leaves the other columns of the table free. This post tests which changes SQL Server blocks, shows the messages and lists the bound columns with a query. It also shows how to change a bound column inside one transaction.
What is SCHEMABINDING in SQL Server Views? – Interview Question of the Week #245
SCHEMABINDING keywords prevent tables used in the views to make any such modifications that can affect the view’s definition.
RSFXDEVICEOPS Wait: Unneeded WAITFOR DELAY Slowing Queries
The RSFXDEVICEOPS wait, listed as PREEMPTIVE_OS_RSFXDEVICEOPS, was high at a client that did not use FileStream. Their queries carried a WAITFOR DELAY nobody remembered adding. When the clause came out, the wait dropped and the queries got fast again.
Memory-Optimized Files: List Logical and Physical Names
To list memory-optimized files, join sys.dm_db_xtp_checkpoint_files to sys.database_files. This post builds a small memory-optimized database, shows the container’s logical and physical name and counts its checkpoint files by type and state. It also explains why a container holds far more disk space than its data uses.
AVG of an Integer Column Returns an Integer: Getting Decimals Back
The dashboard says the average is 1 when everyone can see it is 1.5. Here is why AVG does that and the one-line fix.
Drop Multiple Columns in One ALTER TABLE Statement
To drop multiple columns, list them after one DROP COLUMN in one ALTER TABLE statement. This post tests the syntax on a table with a default, a check constraint and an index, shows the error that a dependent object causes and drops the constraints and columns together. It also explains why the disk space doesn’t return until a rebuild.
MAXDOP Query Hint: Override the Server Setting for One Query
The MAXDOP query hint sets how many processors one query can use, whatever the server setting says. This post proves it in both directions on a test table, shows that the hint can’t force a parallel plan and adds the database scoped setting between the two. Every step leaves the server setting alone.