Boost SQL Server Priority appeared in the historical SSMS 18.5.1 interface. I showed where to inspect that engine setting.
Count TempDB Data Files: Five Ways to Check in SQL Server
You can count tempdb data files with the Properties window, three queries or the error log. This post shows all five checks with their results, explains what each one reads, and compares the count with the number of CPUs. It also covers the case where the Properties window won’t open.
Background Job Queue: List Active Jobs and Kill a Stats Job
The background job queue holds work that SQL Server runs outside your queries, such as asynchronous statistics updates. This post lists the active jobs, reads the queue counters, catches a real statistics job in a demo and kills it with KILL STATS JOB. It also corrects a common mix-up: the command takes the job ID, not the session ID.
Finding Queries the Application Cancelled With Attention Events
Capture attention events for canceled requests, read event-file XML, compare Query Store aborts, and inspect transaction cleanup.
Query Percentage Complete: Watch a Long Query Finish
Query percentage complete is not a column in any view, but sys.dm_exec_query_profiles reports how many rows each operator has produced against the plan’s estimate. This post builds a monitor query for a running statement, explains why a percentage can pass 100 or even run into the thousands, and shows which operators to trust.
Compute Scalar Operators: Why a Computed Column Shows Two
A plan that reads a computed column shows two Compute Scalar operators, and the second one looks like a mistake. This post compares three tables in the plan text: an expression in the query, a computed column and a persisted computed column. It shows what each of the Compute Scalar operators defines and whether the extra operator costs anything.
WITH NORECOMPUTE: Stop Auto Updates on One Table
WITH NORECOMPUTE tells SQL Server to stop updating the statistics of one table automatically. This post sets it with UPDATE STATISTICS, proves that the modification counter keeps growing while nothing refreshes, and shows how to turn it off again. It also shows a safer option for the same problem, a persisted sample percent.