Set LOCK_TIMEOUT to bound lock waits, reproduce error 1222, clean up the transaction, and retry safely without confusing client timeouts.
Loading Partitions in Parallel
Loading partitions in parallel uses separate staging tables, controlled workers, and partition switching to publish data without chaotic locks.
Blocking and Deadlock Quiz: Which One Ends by Itself?
This Blocking and Deadlock Quiz asks which problem SQL Server ends on its own, and how the losing session finds out. A two-window test on SQL Server 2025 shows the deadlock error 1205 and the lock timeout error 1222. It also shows how to find a blocker and how to retry.
Locking and Blocking Quiz: Will Updating a Different Row Wait?
This Locking and Blocking Quiz asks whether an update waits when it changes a different row than an open transaction. The answer depends on the index. A two-window test on SQL Server 2025 shows the wait, the lock that causes it, and two ways to remove it.
ANSI Isolation Levels Quiz: Which Level Lets You Read Uncommitted Data?
This ANSI Isolation Levels Quiz asks which level lets one session read a price that another session has not committed. A two-window test on SQL Server 2025 shows what each level returns. It also shows how READ COMMITTED SNAPSHOT removes the wait.
Lost Updates: Optimistic Concurrency With a rowversion Column
Prevent lost updates with optimistic concurrency and a rowversion token, detect zero-row conflicts, and compare short locking transactions.
Optimized Locking Wait Stats: New Lock Waits in SQL Server 2025
Optimized locking wait stats are the new lock waits SQL Server 2025 records when optimized locking is on. On Night 24 at the Clipboard Diner, a new state code swaps booth cards for wristbands. Then I show what LCK_M_S_XACT_MODIFY and LCK_M_S_XACT_READ mean, how to check the setting, and why a long transaction still hurts.