Twelve tips for better SQL Server 2005 query performance, from execution plans and covering indexes to avoiding cursors, using APPLY and archiving old data.
Least Privilege for Application Logins
Design least privilege for SQL Server application logins with roles, schema permissions, and stored procedures, then test real workflows.
Readable IDs: A Bounded Computed Invoice Number
Create readable IDs with a computed invoice number while retaining the numeric key. Enforce the six-digit domain and plan format changes before growth.
NOT and NULL: Unknown Does Not Become True
NOT and NULL do not create a complete two-way classification. State whether missing values belong in a filter or a separate reporting category.
Writing a Good Technical Blog Post
A technical blog post works when it solves one problem with tested code, clear assumptions, a readable result, and honest limits.
What Is an Index in SQL Server?
An index in SQL Server took one query from 33,517 reads to 66 on the same table. What clustered and nonclustered really mean, why every index is paid for on the way in, and how to find the ones nobody uses.
SQL SERVER – Optimization Rules of Thumb – Best Practices – Reader’s Article
Reader Praveen Barath adds his own query optimization tips to my rules of thumb: tune only working code, write repeated statements identically and more.