SQLOS scheduler and process states, in simple words: the processor, the ready queue and the waiting queue. After my SQL in Sixty Seconds video, people asked how to map them, so here is the answer.
DBCC PAGE Alternative: Read Page Headers with T-SQL
The best DBCC PAGE alternative is the function sys.dm_db_page_info. This post builds a demo table, lists all of its pages with the allocation view, and compares one page with DBCC PAGE. It also explains the two modes and the page wait use.
Identify SQL Server Version From a Backup File
To identify SQL Server version from a backup file, run RESTORE HEADERONLY and read DatabaseVersion and SoftwareVersionMajor. This post makes a demo backup, reads its header, and maps the numbers to products. It also shows how to compare the backup with your server in T-SQL, and why a header sometimes fails to read on an older server.
Physical and Virtual Memory Explained for SQL Server DBAs
Physical and virtual memory are two different things, and SQL Server reports on both. This post explains RAM, address space, the page file and paging in plain words. It then reads each number with three read-only queries and ends with settings worth checking.
Database Sharding – How to Identify a Shard Key?
Picking the shard key is the hardest part of Database Sharding. Here are the guiding principles I shared at a user group for choosing a good one.
Logical Architecture: Oracle and SQL Server Compared
Continuing my Oracle vs SQL Server series, I compare the logical architecture of both, using simple analogies to map what you know to what you don’t.
Master Database in SQL Server: What It Holds and How to Protect It
The master database is the one database a SQL Server instance cannot start without. It stores logins, linked servers, server settings and the list of databases. The tests here show what master holds, what it does not, how to back it up with CHECKSUM, how to check the backup, and what a master restore involves.