Pages and Extents are the building blocks of every SQL Server data file. A page is 8 KB, an extent is eight pages, and a row has to fit on a page. This post shows how to count the pages a table uses and what happens when a row is too wide.
Rows, Columns and Tables: How a Database Holds Information
Rows, Columns and Tables are the three ideas behind every relational database. A table holds one kind of thing, a column describes one fact about it, and a row records one item. This post builds a small Books table in SQL Server and reads it back by row and by column.
Readable File Sizes: Converting Bytes to KB, MB and GB
Turn raw bytes into friendly sizes without losing accuracy. Includes the overflow trap and the 500 GB drive that shows as 465.7.
What Are Filegroups in SQL Server and When to Use Them
What are filegroups in SQL Server? A filegroup is a named container for data files, and an ordinary table or index lives in exactly one. This post builds a small demo, shows where a table lands, and gives honest advice on when extra filegroups help and when they only add work.
Data Files and Log Files: What Each One Does in SQL Server
Data Files and Log Files are the two kinds of file every SQL Server database needs. This post explains what lives in each, why the log is written first, and how to list both with a query on sys.database_files.
Data and Information: Why Every Business Runs on a Database
Data and Information are not the same thing. Data is the raw facts a business stores, and information is the answer you get when a query processes them. This post uses a small bookshop table to show the difference, and why a database does the job better than a ledger or a spreadsheet.
Why DBCC SHRINKFILE Crawls and How to Watch Its Progress
Explain why DBCC SHRINKFILE can take hours, monitor percent_complete and waits, and use TRUNCATEONLY before small steps.