Test disabling nonclustered indexes before a large load, rebuilding them afterward, and measuring total time and log use.
MERGE Performance for Large Upserts: UPDATE Then INSERT Instead
Is MERGE really slow, or did the rewrite just run on a quiet night? Here is a fair test you can run yourself.
Optimal Backup Methods: Full, Differential and Log Plans Compared
How to pick the optimal backup methods for your server: choose a recovery model first, then compare Full, Differential and Transaction Log backup plans. The chart lists the pros and cons of each.
Writing T-SQL With an AI Assistant: What to Check Before You Run It
Review T-SQL from an AI assistant for real columns, safe writes, index access, date boundaries, isolation, and rollback tests.
Picking Random Winners Fairly With NEWID and CRYPT_GEN_RANDOM
Pick random winners with NEWID or cryptographic randomness, handle weights and unique entrants, and save a draw with its seed and timestamp.
Validate a Date With Regex in SQL Server 2025: Shape Is Not Enough
To validate a date with regex in SQL Server 2025, pair REGEXP_LIKE with TRY_CONVERT. The tests here show impossible dates that pass a strict pattern, spellings that convert but break the format, and how to enforce both checks with a constraint.
SQL Server Agent Basics
SQL Server Agent basics covers jobs, steps, schedules, proxies, and history so a first useful job runs with a clear owner and failure path.