Try counting current connections by login, host, application and database, then inspect sleeping transactions and save a baseline.
sys.dm_os_waiting_tasks: Who Is Waiting Right Now and Why
sys.dm_os_waiting_tasks shows every task that waits right now, what it waits for and who is in the way. This post builds a three-session blocking chain on SQL Server 2025, reads the view, finds the head of the chain and names the locked table.
Find SQL Server Agent Job Failures Before Users Do
Agent job failures hide in msdb until someone reads the history. This post builds three demo jobs, then finds the failed step and its message, the job that runs too long, the job that never starts, and the jobs that notify nobody.
Find the Most Resource Intensive Queries in SQL Server
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.
Is This Instance Patched? Reading ProductUpdateLevel and Build
An update label is one clue, the build number is the identity. I show how to read both, compare builds safely, and avoid the NULL typo trap.
Decommissioning a Database: A Safe Checklist Before the Drop
Dropping an old database is a one-way door. Here is the short checklist I run first, with a demo you can paste into SSMS.
A Repeatable Workload: Testing a Tuning Change Fairly
One quick run can fool you. Here is a small, fixed test you can rerun before and after any index.