Inspect the SQL Server plan cache, identify single-use plans and memory use, and understand what optimize for ad hoc workloads changes.
T-SQL Habits Worth Unlearning
Review T-SQL habits that hide intent or create avoidable work, including SELECT star, NOLOCK, row loops, and functions on filtered columns.
Server Settings Worth Checking on Any New Instance
Review SQL Server configuration for memory, parallelism, tempdb, file growth, and backups before a new instance becomes a production surprise.
How to Read a Stored Procedure You Did Not Write
Learn to read stored procedure code by tracing inputs, writes, transactions, errors, and dependencies before trying to understand every line.
Interview Questions That Actually Reveal SQL Skill
Use SQL Server interview questions that reveal reasoning about joins, NULLs, performance, and recovery instead of rewarding memorised trivia.
What to Check When You Are Woken at Three in the Morning
Use a DBA on call checklist to establish impact, inspect blocking and disk space, review failed jobs, and choose a safe next step during incidents.
Caching Query Results in the Application
Caching query results in the application can reduce repeated reads when ownership, expiry, invalidation, and memory cost are clear.