Force a plan with Query Store when a query turns slow after a plan change. This post builds a regression, finds both plans in Query Store, forces the good one, measures what forcing costs and shows when to unforce.
SQL Server emergency? Email pinal@sqlauthority.com with URGENT in the subject line.
Learning SQL Server on a Budget
Learning SQL Server on a budget is possible with free development editions, official documentation, samples, and community practice.
SQL SERVER – master Database Log File Grew Too Big
A reader found the master database log file grew very large even in simple recovery mode. I share the full email and ask what you would suggest.
SQL SERVER – Get File Statistics Using fn_virtualfilestats
Which MDF or NDF file is the busiest? This query uses fn_virtualfilestats to show reads, writes, IO stalls and size for every database file.
SQL SERVER – DMV – sys.dm_exec_query_optimizer_info – Statistics of Optimizer
The DMV sys.dm_exec_query_optimizer_info keeps statistics of optimizer activity. My simple query shows optimizations, elapsed time, final cost and more.
Striped Backups: Writing One Backup to Several Files
Use striped backups across several files, inspect media families, restore every stripe, and test resource settings on your own server.
SQL SERVER – Copy Statistics from One Server to Another Server
Without the client’s data, every query ran in zero milliseconds. Here is how I copy statistics from one server to another to tune with only the schema.
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.

