Find row overflow data pages in wide SQL Server tables, identify large VARCHAR values and rows, and measure their extra read cost.
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.
Finding Orphaned Data and Log Files Nobody Attached
Inventory orphaned data and log files by comparing data-folder contents with sys.master_files, then review candidates before cleanup.
Why Table Size Numbers Disagree: Reserved, Used and Unused Space
Reconcile table size reports by reading reserved, used, data, index, and unused pages from sys.dm_db_partition_stats on SQL Server.
Structured, Semi-Structured and Unstructured Data Explained
Structured, Semi-Structured and Unstructured Data differ in where the schema lives and how you query them. This post compares the three shapes and runs one query across a table, a json column and free text in SQL Server 2025.
FileTable: Files You Can Open in Explorer and Query in T-SQL
Set up FileTable prerequisites, create a Windows-accessible file namespace, query stored file metadata, and compare simpler path storage.
Checking XML Index Size Against the Table It Belongs To
An XML index can outweigh the table it serves. Here is how I measure each XML structure next to the base table, and what to test before dropping one.