Read a workload capture by grouping related queries, comparing total resource use, and separating one slow execution from repeated work.
SQL Server emergency? Email pinal@sqlauthority.com with URGENT in the subject line.
Physical Reads per Query: Finding What Drives Disk I/O
The storage team asks which query hit the disks. Here is how to answer with physical reads, and why the answer depends on how you rank them.
Hey DBA – Baselines and Performance Monitoring – Why? – Notes from the Field #058
Mike Walsh explains why baselines and performance monitoring matter for every DBA, and how to know what normal looks like on your servers.
Operating System Error 5 on Backup: Fix Access Denied
Operating system error 5 means Windows refused the SQL Server service account access to a backup folder. This post reproduces the error, shows how to find the account with a query, grants the permission, and explains the look-alike errors for missing paths and mapped drives.
SQL SERVER – List the Name of the Months Between Date Ranges
How do you list the name of the months between date ranges? A friend and former co-worker sent me this script using DATENAME and DATEADD.
SQL SERVER -Fix Error – Cannot open backup device. Operating system error 5(Access is denied.)
Fix the backup error Cannot open backup device, Operating system error 5, Access is denied: common causes and the solution that worked for me.
SQL SERVER – Finding if Current Week is Odd or Even – Script
A bank DBA needed a script to tell if the current week is odd or even, to keep more cash on the 2nd and 4th weeks. Here is the script I use.
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.

