How a Hash Join works in two phases, build and probe, why it suits large data sets without indexes, and why it needs an equijoin predicate.
SQL Server emergency? Email pinal@sqlauthority.com with URGENT in the subject line.
SQL SERVER – Fix : Error 8629 The query processor could not produce a query plan from the optimizer because a query cannot update a text, ntext, or image column and a clustering key at the same time.
Error 8629 appears when one UPDATE changes a text or image column and a clustering key together. Here is why SQL Server blocks it and a fix.
How to Read a SQL Server Error Message
Read a SQL Server error message by separating its number, severity, state, procedure, and line, then preserve the context needed to investigate.
SQL SERVER – Recovery Models and Selection
SQL Server offers three recovery models: full, simple and bulk-logged. Here is when to select each one, based on how much data loss you can accept.
Normalization Jokes and the Normal Forms They Make Fun Of
Normalization jokes are funny because they are true. Here are the classics in my own words, and the first three normal forms they poke fun at.
SQL SERVER – LEN and DATALENGTH of NULL Simple Example
A common mistake is checking LEN(@var) = 0 for a NULL value. LEN and DATALENGTH of NULL both return NULL, not zero, as this simple example shows.
SQL SERVER – Cannot Resolve Collation Conflict For Equal to Operation
A collation conflict means character expressions use incompatible comparison rules. I choose the intended rules before applying COLLATE.
SQL Server slow? Let's fix it together in about four hours.
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You keep every script, and the know-how to fix it yourself next time.
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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.

