An index hint lets you force SQL Server to use a specific index in a query. I show the WITH (INDEX()) syntax with examples, and why it is for special cases only.
SQL Server emergency? Email pinal@sqlauthority.com with URGENT in the subject line.
SQL SERVER – Quickest Way to – Kill All Threads – Kill All User Session – Kill All Processes
The quickest way to kill all processes and user sessions in a database: SET SINGLE_USER WITH ROLLBACK IMMEDIATE, then back to MULTI_USER. No cursor needed.
Contained Databases and Contained Users
Understand contained users in SQL Server databases, how they travel with a database, and the security trade-offs of partial containment.
SQL SERVER – Observation – Effect of Clustered Index over Nonclustered Index
An observation from my query optimization work: the effect of clustered index on a nonclustered index, shown with a sample table and execution plans.
TRY_PARSE: Make the Culture Explicit for Numeric Text
TRY_PARSE needs an explicit culture when punctuation has a specific numeric meaning. I keep that culture beside the source text. A successful conversion alone cannot establish that the intended number was read.
SQL SERVER – T-SQL Script for FizzBuzz Logic
FizzBuzz is a common interview puzzle: print 1 to 100, with Fizz for multiples of three and Buzz for five. Here is my T-SQL answer using a WHILE loop.
Using sp_help and Friends to Explore a Database
Using sp_help, sp_helpindex, sp_helptext, and sp_spaceused gives a quick SQL Server tour before you reach for catalog views.
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.
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