SET vs SELECT: both can assign a value to a variable, but they behave differently when a query returns many rows. Here is a simple example.
SQL Server emergency? Email pinal@sqlauthority.com with URGENT in the subject line.
SQL SERVER – Log Shipping – Sharing Tab Missing in Folder Properties
Setting up Log Shipping and found the Sharing tab missing in folder properties? A reader hit this, and here is how to get the Sharing tab back.
SQL SERVER – 3 Common Mistakes of Agile Development – Notes from the Field #074
Agile builds software in small, time boxed steps. In Notes from the Field #074, Stuart Ainsworth shares stories about 3 common mistakes of Agile Development.
SQL SERVER – Quiz on knowing DATEPART and DATENAME Behaviors
DATEPART and DATENAME accept a string that holds only a time and fill in the missing date as January 1, 1900. This post keeps the quiz, runs every query on SQL Server 2025 and explains which of the five bonus queries work and why.
SQL SERVER – Script to find SQL Startup Account using WMIC
A friend’s passing remark led me to a new way to find the SQL Server startup account using WMIC, the WMI command line tool. Here is the script.
SQL SERVER – Using MaxTransferSize parameter with SQL Server Backups
A DBA asked whether backups on new EMC storage should use a 256 KB transfer size. Here is what I learned about the MaxTransferSize parameter.
Interview Question of the Week #013 – Stored Procedure and Its Advantages – How to Create Stored Procedure
Learn how to create stored procedure code with parameters and NOCOUNT, then review security, plan reuse, and parameter-sensitive plans.
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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.

