Read a workload capture by grouping related queries, comparing total resource use, and separating one slow execution from repeated work.
Physical Reads per Query: Finding What Drives Disk I/O
The storage team asks which query hit the disks. Here is how to answer with physical reads, and why the answer depends on how you rank them.
Hey DBA – Baselines and Performance Monitoring – Why? – Notes from the Field #058
Mike Walsh explains why baselines and performance monitoring matter for every DBA, and how to know what normal looks like on your servers.
Operating System Error 5 on Backup: Fix Access Denied
Operating system error 5 means Windows refused the SQL Server service account access to a backup folder. This post reproduces the error, shows how to find the account with a query, grants the permission, and explains the look-alike errors for missing paths and mapped drives.
SQL SERVER – List the Name of the Months Between Date Ranges
How do you list the name of the months between date ranges? A friend and former co-worker sent me this script using DATENAME and DATEADD.
SQL SERVER -Fix Error – Cannot open backup device. Operating system error 5(Access is denied.)
Fix the backup error Cannot open backup device, Operating system error 5, Access is denied: common causes and the solution that worked for me.
SQL SERVER – Finding if Current Week is Odd or Even – Script
A bank DBA needed a script to tell if the current week is odd or even, to keep more cash on the 2nd and 4th weeks. Here is the script I use.