A friend needed to count Virtual Processors available to SQL Server 2000. Scripts for 2000 with xp_msver, and for 2005 to 2012 with sys.dm_os_sys_info.
SQL Saturday #116: The First SQL Saturday in India
SQL Saturday #116 was the first SQL Saturday in India, and it was a huge success. We filled every seat, hosted two technical tracks with six speakers and ended with a book signing. Here is my recap of the day, with photographs.
SQL Server Questions and Answers: The Movie My Grandma Asked For
SQL Server Questions and Answers began as a book I carried to my grandma for blessings. One question from Grandma, “when will this book become a movie?”, turned into a video course eighty days later.
Slowly Changing Dimension Quiz: Type 1 or Type 2?
This Slowly Changing Dimension Quiz asks which type to use when a customer moves from Denver to Austin and sales before the move must stay under Denver. The answer is Type 2. A tested script runs Type 1 and Type 2 side by side, checks the move date and shows both reports.
Table Partitioning Quiz: When Does It Make a Query Faster?
This Table Partitioning Quiz asks whether a query for last month runs faster once a sales table is partitioned by month. The answer is only when the filter lets SQL Server skip partitions. A tested script shows the partition count, the reads, and a partition SWITCH.
Query Store Quiz: Where Is Last Week’s Slow Query?
This Query Store Quiz starts with a slow query from last week and a plan cache that restarted empty. The answer is Query Store, which keeps plans and run times inside the database. A tested T-SQL script finds the query, its plan and its duration.
Reclaiming Space Quiz: Does Deleting Rows Shrink the File?
This Reclaiming Space Quiz asks what happens to the data file after you delete half the rows of a big table. The file keeps its size, and the space stays free inside it. A tested script shows the numbers, then what a shrink costs.