A TDE enabled database would not synchronize in an AlwaysOn availability group, and ERRORLOG said please create a master key. Here is what I found.
Error 2628: Finding the Value That Would Be Truncated
A nightly import fails and nobody knows which column is too small. Error 2628 tells you. Here is how to read it and catch every oversized value up front.
SQL SERVER – Fix – Error 15240, Severity: 16, State: 2 – Cannot write into file
Error 15240 stopped SQL Server starting after a patch. Tested on SQL Server 2025: three causes behind one message, and what my old fix missed.
How to Query Multiple SQL Server with a Single Query? – Interview Question of the Week #106
A senior DBA needed to check SQL Server 2016 SP1 on every server. Here is the neat way he used to query multiple SQL Server instances with a single query.
SQL SERVER – SSMS Tip – Using Drag and Drop Capability
A lesser known SSMS trick: drag and drop from Object Explorer into the query window to get table and column names typed for you. Handy for documentation.
Error 9003: Log Scan Number in master Is Not Valid
Error 9003 on the master database means SQL Server cannot recover master and will not start. The master files were corrupt. We rebuilt the system databases, started the instance in single user mode and restored master from a backup.
SQL SERVER – Why Cluster Network is Unavailable in Failover Cluster Manager?
A Windows admin told me how cluster networks showed as unavailable in Failover Cluster Manager, and why a reboot was the fix that time.