Inspect prepared statements, handle lifetimes, parameter types, cached Prepared plans, and the limits of optimize for ad hoc workloads.
SQL Server emergency? Email pinal@sqlauthority.com with URGENT in the subject line.
Heartbeat Gaps: Finding Missing Check-Ins With LAG
Detect missing check-ins with LAG, report closed heartbeat gaps, and find silent or never-seen sources using an explicit UTC tolerance.
Live Plans for Running Queries With sys.dm_exec_query_statistics_xml
Read sys.dm_exec_query_statistics_xml for live plans, compare profile counts with estimates, and interpret partial progress carefully.
Writing Agent Job Step Output to a Log File on Disk
Preserve job step output in a server-side file, configure Agent tokens and append flags, and verify write permissions and retention.
Long Running Queries in MySQL: Find Them in Two Ways
Find long running queries in MySQL with two built-in methods: the slow query log and the Performance Schema digest table. See the settings, a ready query and how to choose between them.
Find Database File Latency – SQL in Sixty Seconds #198
Lots of people asked me to create a video on my earlier blog post SQL SERVER – Script to List Database File Latency. Here is the video.
MySQL Configuration Changes: Track What Changed and When
MySQL configuration changes explain many sudden slowdowns. See how innodb_read_ahead_threshold works, what MySQL 8.0 records about a change and how to keep your own history.
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.

