oStress vs SSMS is not a race, because the tools measure different things. This post times 10,000 inserts in three ways with a clock inside the script, then shows how eight sessions finish the same work faster. It explains what a one-session loop really measures.
oStress Load Test: Run Many Sessions Against SQL Server
An oStress load test runs one query from many connections at once, so you can watch SQL Server under a crowd. This post explains the main switches and runs a small first test with five connections. It also builds the same test with sqlcmd workers, for machines without oStress.
What is Transactional Replication Supported Version Matrix? – Interview Question of the Week #274
Question: What is the Transactional Replication Supported Version Matrix?
The rules for the supported versions are pretty simple and clearly written.
Query Store On or Off for Every Database: Review First
To turn Query Store on or off for every database, you need one statement per database, because there is no server switch. This post builds a tested script that writes the statements, lets you read them and then runs them in one batch. It also covers READ_ONLY mode and the model database.
Query Store Status for Every Database in SQL Server
Query Store status for every database takes two queries, and the first is not enough. This post builds four demo databases, shows why the is_query_store_on flag hides frozen and read-only states, and runs one script that reads the real state of each database. It also shows what Query Store costs in memory.
SSMS Command Timeout: What the Execution Time-out Does
The SSMS command timeout is the number of seconds a query window waits before it cancels a batch. This post lists the four places a time-out can come from and reproduces a client time-out with sqlcmd and PowerShell. It also shows how an Extended Events session proves that the client gave up.
SSMS ROWCOUNT Setting: Why Your Query Stops at 100 Rows
The SSMS ROWCOUNT setting limits every query in a window to a fixed number of rows, and it can change the plan as well. This post shows the effect on rows, reads and plan with a tested demo, how to check your own session and why UPDATE statements stop at the limit too.