ERROR 1222: Lock request time out period exceeded. Find the blocking transaction with DMVs, and what to change when you are not allowed to kill it.
SQL SERVER – ERROR Messages – sysmessages error severity level
SQL Server ERROR Messages explained: each has a number, a severity level and a state from 1 to 127, and all of them are stored in the sysmessages system table.
SQL SERVER – 2005 Take Off Line or Detach Database
To take off line a database in SQL Server 2005, use ALTER DATABASE SET OFFLINE with ROLLBACK AFTER 30 SECONDS or ROLLBACK IMMEDIATE instead of sp_dboption.
SQL SERVER – TRIM() Function – UDF TRIM()
SQL Server 2005 has LTRIM() and RTRIM() but no TRIM() function, so I wrote a simple UDF for SQL Server 2000 and 2005 that trims both sides. Video included.
SQL SERVER – Six Properties of Relational Tables
The six properties of relational tables explained: atomic values, values of the same kind, unique rows and more, with the benefit of each one.
SQL SERVER – 2005 Collation Explanation and Translation
How to read a SQL Server 2005 Collation name like Latin1_General_CI_AS, check which collation you have, and avoid collation conflict errors.
IIF and CASE: Control Return Types and Use Typed NULL Values
IIF and CASE choose result values, but their branches also define a shared return type. I make that type explicit when mixed inputs could surprise the reader. Typed NULL values help describe the same output contract.
SQL SERVER – Query to Find Seed Values, Increment Values and Current Identity Column value of the table
A query to list every identity column with its seed, increment and current value, plus what those numbers mean and how to reseed a table safely.
SQL SERVER – Understanding new Index Type of SQL Server 2005 Included Column Index along with Clustered Index and Non-clustered Index
Clustered index and non-clustered index compared: how many you can have, how each stores data, and where the SQL Server 2005 included column index fits.
SQL SERVER – Raid Configuration – RAID 10
Which RAID do I use for my SQL Servers? RAID 10. It gives great read and write performance, while RAID 5 pays a write penalty for parity.