Explain TOP N Sort, compare an indexed ordered access path, and align filter and sort keys before adding indexes for frequent requests.
SQL Server emergency? Email pinal@sqlauthority.com with URGENT in the subject line.
How Blogging Has Changed: From Online Diaries to Newsletters
How blogging has changed is the story of one garden. It grew from online diaries and hand-built pages into blog software, feeds, short updates and newsletters. Through all of it, the useful, honest and regular post stayed the same.
SQL SERVER – List All Available TimeZone
sys.time_zone_info lists timezone names and their current offsets. My SQL Server 2019 environment returned 141 rows.
CPU Running 100% – SQL in Sixty Seconds #185
I got lots of responses to this blog and people wanted me to create a video for this topic. Here, I have a video for CPU Running 100%.
SQL SERVER – Measure Index Performance
I measure index performance against the same workload before and after a change. A customer wanted to assess a new index.
Flush Authentication Cache: Who Can Run DBCC FLUSHAUTHCACHE
Flush authentication cache entries with DBCC FLUSHAUTHCACHE. This post tests the command on SQL Server 2025, shows who can run it and that on SQL Server 2025 it ends no open session, and says what it is documented to do on Azure SQL Database.
Last Used Stored Procedure in SQL Server: When Did It Last Run?
To find the last used stored procedure, read last_execution_time from sys.dm_exec_procedure_stats. This post tests it on demo procedures, shows why a NULL does not mean never, and adds Query Store for a longer memory.
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.

