Need to find strings with same characters, like KKK but not KKT? Here is a simple trick using REPLACE and LEFT, with no WHILE loop needed.
SQL Server emergency? Email pinal@sqlauthority.com with URGENT in the subject line.
SQL SERVER – FIX – Error: 905, Severity: 21, State: 1 – Database ‘xxx’ cannot be started in this edition of SQL Server because it contains a partition function ‘xxx’.
After moving from Enterprise Evaluation to Standard Edition, a database cannot be started in this edition because it uses a partition function. Here is the fix.
SQL SERVER – Finding Top Offenders in SQL Server 2012 – Notes from the Field #068
John Sterrett shows how to capture a workload and find your top offenders in SQL Server 2012 right inside Management Studio, without writing any T-SQL.
SQL SERVER – Notes and Observations on ReadOnly Databases in SQL Server
Can you create temp tables, stored procedures or shrink files in ReadOnly databases? I answer these reader questions with simple examples.
BULK INSERT With FORMAT CSV and FIELDQUOTE for Quoted Files
A comma inside a quoted name can break a CSV load without any error. Here is how FIELDQUOTE fixes it, and how to validate what arrives.
SQL SERVER – Quiz with DATEADD Function – SQL Puzzle
The DATEADD function returns the last day of the month when the day does not exist, so one month after January 31 is February 28. This post keeps the quiz, runs every query on SQL Server 2025 and explains the month rule and the Msg 517 overflow with the real results.
SQL SERVER – Installation Error – INSTALLSHAREDDIR parameter is not valid because this directory is compressed or is in a compressed directory
SQL Server setup failed saying the INSTALLSHAREDDIR parameter is not valid because the folder is compressed. Here is how removing that attribute fixes it.
SQL Server slow? Let's fix it together in about four hours.
In my Comprehensive Database Performance Health Check, you share your screen, I guide you, and we fix your biggest performance troublemakers. No passwords. No remote access.
You keep every script, and the know-how to fix it yourself next time.
Want your whole team to learn it?
My Practical Workshop has no PowerPoint, just live demos. My AI Enablement Workshop shows your team where AI saves hours, and where it quietly costs them.
Over 400 customers have worked with me this way, and not one shared a password. See all consulting options.
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.

