Want a fast answer? Here’s how to ask a SQL question with a small script, the exact error and the expected result, so helpers can answer.
SQL Server emergency? Email pinal@sqlauthority.com with URGENT in the subject line.
SQL SERVER – Top Five Articles of Year 2008
My Top 5 Articles of year 2008 from SQLAuthority.com and pinaldave.com, led by the most visited page: the SQL Server 2008 interview questions and answers list.
Always Encrypted in Plain Words
Explain Always Encrypted in plain words, including client-held keys, deterministic and randomized encryption, query limits, and operations.
SQL SERVER – sqlcmd – Using a Dedicated Administrator Connection to Kill Currently Running Query
When a long running query makes SQL Server stop responding, sqlcmd with a Dedicated Administrator Connection lets you connect from another computer and kill it.
Granting VIEW SERVER STATE Without Handing Out sysadmin
Grant VIEW SERVER STATE or SQL Server 2022 performance permissions to a monitoring login, add job history access, and test its limits.
SQL SERVER – Find Currently Running Query – T-SQL
A short script to find a currently running query on your server using sys.dm_exec_requests, plus the KILL command to stop one that runs for too long.
SQL SERVER – Interesting Observation – Using sqlcmd From SSMS Query Editor
Turn on SQLCMD Mode and the SSMS Query Editor can run sqlcmd scripts that mix OS and SQL commands. The interesting part: the OS commands run first.
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.

