To find resource intensive queries, read sys.dm_exec_query_stats and rank the cached statements by reads, CPU or time. This post builds a small demo, ranks it two ways, and fixes the worst offender with one index. It also explains what the numbers can and cannot tell you.
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.
ALTER TABLE REBUILD: Fixing a Heap Without a Clustered Index
A heap with widening rows collects forwarded records. Here is how to measure them, fix them and know when the fix will not last.
Find SQL Server Installation Date and Time with T-SQL
The SQL Server Installation Date is the create date of the NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM login, and one short query reads it. This post compares that clue with other dates that look right but aren’t, shows how to work out an Evaluation expiry date, and lists the cases where the clue is wrong.
Standard Reports in SSMS: SQL in Sixty Seconds #016
Standard Reports in SSMS put activity, space and performance information a few clicks away. This post adds T-SQL queries for the same questions, tested on SQL Server 2025, and shows the permission error a reader without VIEW SERVER PERFORMANCE STATE receives.
SQL SERVER – Columnstore Index and sys.dm_db_index_usage_stats
My Columnstore index DMV script failed on SQL Server 2012 RTM because sys.column_store_index_stats was gone. What I found next, with sys.dm_db_index_usage_stats.
Timed-Out Queries in Query Store: Finding Aborted Executions
An aborted row is a clue, not a verdict. Here is how to read Query Store execution types and match them with what the caller saw.