A reader hit Error 18456, Severity: 14, State: 6 while logging in. Here is what state 6 means and how to fix this login failed error.
SQL Server emergency? Email pinal@sqlauthority.com with URGENT in the subject line.
SQL SERVER – View Dependencies on SQL Server: Hard & Soft Way
Most databases I meet as a consultant have no up-to-date documentation. Here is the hard way and the soft way to check SQL SERVER – View Dependencies yourself.
SQL SERVER – ShowPlan XML Additions for ColumnStore Indexes
How can you tell if a query used a columnstore index and batch processing? Here are the properties SQL Server adds to the ShowPlan XML for ColumnStore indexes.
Interview Question of the Week #058 – What is the Difference Among DECIMAL, FLOAT and NUMERIC Datatype?
What is the difference among DECIMAL, FLOAT and NUMERIC? DECIMAL and NUMERIC are the same datatype, while FLOAT is approximate. Here is when to use each.
SQL SERVER – FIX Error 18456, Severity: 14, State: 58. Login failed for user
Login failed for user with state 58? Newer SQL Server versions give better details in the ERRORLOG. Here is how to FIX Error 18456 when you see this state.
SQL SERVER – Huge Transaction Log (LDF) for Database in Availability Group
A reader’s database in an AlwaysOn availability group grew a Huge Transaction Log of 230 GB with error 9002, AVAILABILITY_REPLICA. Here is what to check.
Send the Payload, Skip the Meeting: Async Updates That Save Hours
Async updates save hours when each message carries everything the reader needs. This post shows the five fields of a clean update, a made-up example and a default action that keeps work moving. It also says when a meeting still wins.
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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.

