Test ZSTD backup compression in SQL Server 2025, compare recorded sizes and algorithms, and check restores before changing defaults.
Building a Portfolio as a Data Professional
A data professional portfolio should show a few complete projects, clear write-ups, and runnable code that explains decisions and tradeoffs.
Backup Retention: How Long to Keep What
Backup retention should preserve restore chains while meeting recovery, legal, and storage needs across full, differential, and log backups.
Adding a NOT NULL Column With a Default to a Big Table
Add a NOT NULL column with a default safely, distinguish metadata changes from row updates, and plan a staged Standard edition rollout.
Reducing the Size of a Reporting Database
Reducing the size of a reporting database starts with compression, archiving, and index review; shrinking files comes last.
Scale Up or Scale Out: Signs Your Server Needs More Hardware
Decide when to scale up SQL Server by checking sustained CPU demand, memory pressure, storage latency, and whether query tuning comes first.
Overlapping Indexes With INCLUDE Columns: Merging Them Safely
Find overlapping indexes, compare ordered keys and INCLUDE lists, merge coverage carefully, and review usage before removing either index.