The background job queue holds work that SQL Server runs outside your queries, such as asynchronous statistics updates. This post lists the active jobs, reads the queue counters, catches a real statistics job in a demo and kills it with KILL STATS JOB. It also corrects a common mix-up: the command takes the job ID, not the session ID.
Query Percentage Complete: Watch a Long Query Finish
Query percentage complete is not a column in any view, but sys.dm_exec_query_profiles reports how many rows each operator has produced against the plan’s estimate. This post builds a monitor query for a running statement, explains why a percentage can pass 100 or even run into the thousands, and shows which operators to trust.
How to Combine Time and Date in SQL SERVER? – Interview Question of the Week #285
Question: How to Combine Time and Date in SQL SERVER?
Answer: A very simple and popular question. Let us learn together.
Compute Scalar Operators: Why a Computed Column Shows Two
A plan that reads a computed column shows two Compute Scalar operators, and the second one looks like a mistake. This post compares three tables in the plan text: an expression in the query, a computed column and a persisted computed column. It shows what each of the Compute Scalar operators defines and whether the extra operator costs anything.
SQL Puzzle – Solution to Strange Results – IN and IS NOT NULL –
Earlier I had published a blog post about a puzzle SQL Puzzle – IN and IS NOT NULL – Strange Results. Today we will see a solution to strange results puzzle.
What does Verify Backup When Finished do in SQL Server? – Interview Question of the Week #283
Question: What does Verify Backup When Finished do in SQL Server? It looks like a very important step in the entire backup and restores.
DEFAULT WITH VALUES: Fill Existing Rows on a New Column
DEFAULT WITH VALUES fills the rows that already exist when you add a column with a default. Without it, a nullable column keeps NULL in every old row. This post shows the three cases side by side, what a default never does, why the constraint needs a name, and how a large table takes the change in a millisecond.