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.
Columnstore Indexes Without Aggregation: Do They Still Help?
Columnstore indexes without aggregation still help when a query reads many rows but only a few columns. This post builds a rowstore table and a columnstore copy of one million rows and compares reads, size and execution mode. It also shows the case where a plain b-tree index wins.
How to Download the Latest SQL Server Docker Image? – Interview Question of the Week #244
Question: How to Download the Latest SQL Server Docker Image? Answer: The command to download the latest SQL Server Docker Image is here:
Idle CPU Condition in SQL Server Agent: How It Works
The idle CPU condition tells SQL Server Agent when the CPUs are quiet enough to start a job. This post shows where to set it, how the two numbers work and how to create the schedule. It also reads the CPU history of your server in T-SQL, so you can choose values that the server can actually meet.
SQL SERVER – Strange Error Related to Alias
They immediately paid for Comprehensive Database Performance Health Check and we got online to look at their strange error related to alias.
SQL SERVER – Unable to Start SQL Server Service or Connect After Incorrectly Setting Max Server Memory to a Low Value
After incorrectly setting max server memory to 14 MB instead of 145000, a client could not start SQL Server. Here is how we got it back online.
ROWCOUNT_BIG and @@ROWCOUNT: Checking What a Statement Changed
Capture ROWCOUNT_BIG immediately after a change, validate expected counts, and handle NOCOUNT, triggers, and MERGE without stale values.