log_reuse_wait_desc tells you why SQL Server cannot reuse its transaction log, so you know why a shrink gives nothing back. This post causes LOG_BACKUP and ACTIVE_TRANSACTION on purpose in a test database on SQL Server 2025, measures the log and fixes each one.
SQL Server emergency? Email pinal@sqlauthority.com with URGENT in the subject line.
A Calendar Table With Holidays for Date Math
Build a calendar table with weekdays, fiscal months, and American holiday flags, then count working days and find useful date boundaries.
Concat Strings in SQL Server: SQL in Sixty Seconds #035
To concat strings in SQL Server, use the + operator or the CONCAT function. The tests here show what each one does with NULL, numbers and dates, how the 8000 character limit cuts a result, and when CONCAT_WS or STRING_AGG is the better tool.
SQL SERVER – Fix: Error : 402 The data types ntext and varchar are incompatible in the equal to operator
Error 402 says ntext and varchar are incompatible in the equal to operator. I recreate it with a small table and walk through the possible solutions.
SQL SERVER – Fix Error: Microsoft OLE DB Provider for SQL Server error ‘80040e07’ or Microsoft SQL Native Client error ‘80040e07’
Error 80040e07, syntax error converting datetime from character string, usually means a bad date value. In one case a reader had simply misspelled September.
SQL SERVER – Find Referenced or Referencing Object in SQL Server using sys.sql_expression_dependencies
Which tables does a procedure use, and which procedures use a table? sys.sql_expression_dependencies answers both, with referenced and referencing objects.
STRING_AGG Limits: The 8,000 Byte Error, Ordering and Duplicates
Fix STRING_AGG 8,000-byte limits, enforce ordering, remove duplicates before aggregation, and compare its timing with XML.
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