Understand lock escalation, confirm it with evidence, and reduce its impact through smaller transactions, better access paths, and modern locking.
SQL Statistics: How SQL Server Estimates Row Counts
SQL statistics are small summaries of your data that tell the optimizer how many rows a query will return. This post builds an orders table with one rare value and one common value, reads the histogram, compares estimated and actual rows in the plans, and shows a stale statistic fixed with UPDATE STATISTICS. Every result comes from SQL Server 2025.
Page Split in SQL Server: What It Is and How to See One
A page split in SQL Server happens when a row belongs on a data page that is already full. This post builds a small visitor table, shows which page every row sits on before and after a split, counts the splits in the log, and uses fill factor to leave room. Every result comes from SQL Server 2025.
Physical Order of Rows: What a Clustered Index Does
Physical order of rows depends on one thing: whether the table has a clustered index. This post builds a heap and two clustered tables from the same twelve mall stores, shows the page and slot of every row, and counts pages and page splits. Every result comes from SQL Server 2025.
SQL SERVER – Query to Find Duplicate Indexes – Script to Find Redundant Indexes
Duplicate indexes are pure overhead on every insert, update and delete. Here is my script to find duplicate and overlapping indexes so you can review them.
Interview Questions and Answers – Frequently Asked Questions Day 6 of 31
Frequently Asked Questions Day 6: which TCP/IP port SQL Server runs on and how to change it, and the difference between a clustered and a non-clustered index.
SQL SERVER – Solution – Puzzle – Statistics are not Updated but are Created Once
The solution to my puzzle on why statistics are not updated but are created once after a large insert, even with auto update on, and the fix that worked for me.