I inspect TCP listeners to find the actual Network port in use. A customer wanted a query rather than an assumption.
SQL SERVER – Capturing INSERT Timestamp in Table
A default can insert timestamp values when the caller omits a datetime column. I use a session-local CURRENT_TIMESTAMP example.
5 SQL in Sixty Seconds Video on SSMS Efficiency
I make my living by Comprehensive Database Performance Health Check and one of the constant struggles which I see of my client is to use SSMS Efficiency.
Custom Query Shortcuts in SSMS: Run Your Own Procedure
Custom query shortcuts in SSMS run a stored procedure of your own on the text you have selected. This post writes a small procedure that explains any session, tests it the way the shortcut calls it, assigns it to a free key, and explains which keys you can use.
SQL SERVER – Logical Processing Order of the SELECT Statement
Logical Processing places DISTINCT before TOP in a SELECT statement. Questions after my video prompted this explanation.
sp_autostats: See and Undo Automatic Statistics Updates
The sp_autostats procedure shows and changes the automatic statistics update setting of one table, one index or one statistic. This post turns the setting off for a table, flips it back for one index, undoes it, and shows that the database level setting and the statistics themselves are untouched.
CHECK_POLICY and CHECK_EXPIRATION for SQL Logins
Audit CHECK_POLICY and password expiration for SQL logins, inspect LOGINPROPERTY evidence, and plan safe service-account exceptions.
Word Wrap in SSMS: Wrap Long Lines of T-SQL
Word wrap in SSMS folds a long line of T-SQL at the edge of the window, so you read it without scrolling sideways. This post shows where to turn it on for every window, how to show the wrap marks, how to switch it for one window, and why it never changes your script.
SQL SERVER – What is Logical Read?
A logical read requests a database page through the buffer cache. A customer asked about that measure after my STATISTICS IO video.
SQL SERVER – 3 Different Ways to Set MAXDOP
There are 3 different MAXDOP scopes: instance, database and statement. Readers of my 16-versus-1 demonstration asked where to configure it.