SQL Server Performance Tuning Expert - SQL Authority with Pinal Dave

Is your SQL Server running slow and you want to speed it up without sharing server credentials? In my Comprehensive Database Performance Health Check, we can work together remotely and resolve your biggest performance troublemakers in less than 4 hours.

Once you learn my business secrets, you will fix the majority of problems in the future.

Have you ever opened any PowerPoint deck when you face SQL Server Performance Tuning emergencies? SQL Server Performance Tuning Practical Workshop is my MOST popular training with no PowerPoint presentations and 100% practical demonstrations.

Essentially I share my business secrets to optimize SQL Server performance.

An Index Reduces Performance of SELECT Queries (Video)
3 Common Mistakes to Kill SQL Server Performance (Video)
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For SQL Server Emergency Help, you can reach out to me at pinal@sqlauthority.com with words URGENT in the email subject line for other services mention “Comprehensive Database Performance Health Check“.

Aug22

SQL SERVER – Understanding Basic Memory Terms of Physical Memory and Virtual Memory

Pinal Dave

SQL

SQL Memory, SQL Server

Recently I had been to an institute to talk about some database concepts to computer science students. Most of these academic engagements get me closer to young minds and this is an awesome way for me to bring some of the industry concepts in a digestible simple format. Trust me, this takes double the preparation I normally do for professional sessions because now I need to make the concepts so simple that even kids of any age and with no knowledge can still get the concepts being explained. A lot of times this is an exercise for me to show how self-learning can be much more rewarding and unique when compared to what text book teaching would look like. In this blog, let me take up the concept around Physical and Virtual memory which took some considerable time for me using a whiteboard. I am sure, you would have also learnt these concepts a while back, but this is a refresher in my opinion for all.

Aug21

Does Dropping Primary Key Drop Non-Clustered Index on the Column? – Interview Question of the Week #085

Pinal Dave

SQL Interview Questions and Answers

Clustered Index, SQL Constraint and Keys, SQL Index, SQL Server

Question: When we drop primary key on the column, does it automatically drop a non-clustered index on the same column (if created)?

Before we see answer of this question, I suggest you read following three blog posts, they discuss various similar aspects related to the primary key and clustered index.

Aug20

SQL SERVER – SSMS Error During Restore: No Backupset Selected to be Restored

Pinal Dave

SQL

SQL Error Messages, SQL Server, SQL Server Management Studio

There are various ways of learning in my current role. Along with client engagements, reading others blog, I also learn from comment/interaction of my own blog. One of my blog readers sent below email about Backupset.

Aug19

SQL SERVER – Backup to URL Fails in Azure Resource Manager (ARM) Deployment Model with Error – (400) Bad Request

Pinal Dave

SQL

SQL Azure, SQL Error Messages, SQL Server

During my previous consulting engagement, I learned something new with SQL Server feature called back up to the URL. Since it was not so clearly documented, I am sharing this with you. In this blog post, let us learn about Azure Resource Manager. If you have not heard about this feature, you can think of it as variation of the SQL backup feature. In this type of backup, the destination would be an Azure storage rather than disk or tape. You can read more about this feature on my previous blog SQL SERVER – Backup to Azure Blob using SQL Server 2014 Management Studio.

Aug18

SQL SERVER – False Error – Cannot bulk load because the file could not be opened. Operating system error code 5 (Access is denied.)

Pinal Dave

SQL

SQL Error Messages, SQL Server

Yes, it’s possible that SQL Server can raise false and misleading error. I was trying to do some pretty straight forward stuff – import data from text file to SQL table using the BULK INSERT command of T-SQL. Let us learn about false errors of Operating system error code 5 (Access is denied.)

Aug17

Database Sharding – How to Identify a Shard Key?

Pinal Dave

SQL

SQL Constraint and Keys, SQL Server, SQL Server Architecture

I have written a number of posts in the past working on shared databases and the concepts around these can be read at Sharding or No Sharding of Database – Working on my Weekend Project for the starters point of view. In a recent discussion at a user group, I had someone ask me what is the rationale around building a sharding key and what should be used for sharding their database. The concept, though common, it is not in black-and-white to what should be used as an sharding key. There are guiding principles which can be applied. Let us learn about Database Sharding.

Aug16

PowerShell – SQL Server Paging of Memory Identification

Pinal Dave

SQL Tips and Tricks

Powershell, SQL Memory

No Comments

In one of my recent consultation visits to a customer, there was deep performance related problems. They were unclear to what was happening and what was the actual problem. But these are some of the challenges that I love to take head-on too. In this quest to learn what the problem would be, I used a number of tools and during that time I figured out it was a memory pressure that was creating the problem. Let us learn about SQL Server Paging of Memory Identification.

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 14 SQL Server database books and 100 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 an experienced and dedicated professional with a deep commitment to flawless customer service. If you need help with any SQL Server Performance Tuning Issues, please feel free to reach out at pinal@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.