A failed SQL Server 2014 SP2 left the service down with: ALTER DATABASE statement not allowed within Multi-statement Transaction. Here is how to fix it.
SQL Server emergency? Email pinal@sqlauthority.com with URGENT in the subject line.
SQL SERVER – AlwaysOn Automatic Seeding Failure – Failure_code 15 and Failure_message: VDI Client Failed
One database would not seed to the secondary replica. Here is how sys.dm_hadr_physical_seeding_stats showed failure_code 15 and VDI Client Failed.
Delete Old Backup Files in SQL Express with PowerShell
SQL Server Express has no SQL Server Agent, so nothing runs to delete old backup files and the disk slowly fills. This post gives a PowerShell script that removes backup files older than a set number of days, tests it with a dry run, refuses to delete when any backup type has no recent file, and shows how to schedule it with Task Scheduler.
How to Estimate Space Saved by Data Compression in SQL Server? – Interview Question of the Week #167
How to estimate space saved by data compression in SQL Server? Use the built-in sp_estimate_data_compression_savings procedure. Here is a quick example.
SQL SERVER – FIX: Backup Detected Log Corruption in database MyDB. Context is Bad Middle Sector
A client’s full backup always failed at 60%: backup detected log corruption, context is bad middle sector. Here is what the ERRORLOG showed and how we fixed it.
SQL SERVER – Mirroring Error 1456 – The ALTER DATABASE Command Could not be Sent to the Remote Server Instance
Adding a new witness server after a disaster failed with database mirroring error 1456. Here is one possible cause and what to check.
Renaming a Table With Almost No Downtime Using sp_rename
A rename swaps names in a blink, yet the foreign key and permissions stay with the old table. Here is a short demo and a safer swap.
SQL Server slow? Let's fix it together in about four hours.
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Who We Are
Pinal Dave is an SQL Server Performance Tuning Expert and independent consultant with over 24 years of hands-on experience. He holds a Masters of Science degree and numerous database certifications.
Pinal has authored 19 books and 125 Pluralsight courses. To freely share his knowledge and help others build their expertise, Pinal has also written more than 5,800 database tech articles on his blog at https://blog.sqlauthority.com.
Pinal is also a CrossFit Level 1 Trainer (CF-L1) and CrossFit Level 2 Trainer (CF-L2).
Nupur Dave is a social media enthusiast and an independent consultant. She primarily focuses on the database domain, helping clients build short and long-term multi-channel campaigns to drive leads for their sales pipeline.
Shaivi Pinalkumar Dave is a book author and a women’s artistic gymnast.

