Check index key size against the 900-byte clustered and 1,700-byte nonclustered limits, then narrow keys without losing query semantics.
SQL SERVER – Rebuild Index Job Failed – Error: 9002 – The Transaction Log for Database ‘PinalDB’ is Full Due to ‘LOG_BACKUP’
A rebuild index job kept failing with error 9002: The transaction log for database ‘PinalDB’ is full due to ‘LOG_BACKUP’. Here is how I found the real cause.
Blind Index: Searching an Encrypted Column Without Decrypting
Encrypted emails cannot be searched, so store a keyed digest beside them. A hands-on demo of how it works, what it leaks and how rotation hurts.
How to Find Cardinality or Uniqueness for any Column? – Interview Question of the Week #177
What is Cardinality, and how do you find it for a column? This simple script shows the percentage of unique values, using an AdventureWorks table.
The Tipping Point: Why SQL Server Skips Your Nonclustered Index
Find the tipping point where key lookups cost more than a scan, then compare covering and filtered indexes with measured reads.
JSON Column Index in SQL Server: Index One Property
A JSON column index is one of the first tools a DBA needs when documents arrive in SQL Server. This test stores 100,000 recipes as JSON, searches one property with no index, then indexes it through a computed column. It also shows the cast that quietly breaks the match and how missing keys behave.
SQL SERVER – What is Forwarded Records and How to Fix Them?
Forwarded Records in heap tables still puzzle many SQL Server users, years after I first wrote about them. Here is what they are and how to fix them.