Diagnose an AG failover timeout with listener DNS, MultiSubnetFailover, RegisterAllProvidersIP, HostRecordTTL, and client-driver checks.
Reading a Backup File Before You Restore With RESTORE HEADERONLY
Use RESTORE HEADERONLY to identify backup sets, source versions and finish dates before selecting a restore and checking the media.
A Separate Clustered Index for a Nonclustered GUID Primary Key
The primary key and the clustered index are two different jobs. This demo keeps the GUID as the public ID and clusters on an identity column instead.
What Is a View in SQL Server?
A view in SQL Server is a saved query, not a saved copy. Nothing is stored, the text is run every time, and that single fact explains what a view is good for and why it never makes anything faster.
Cleaning Up Ownership Before Dropping a Departed User
DROP USER fails when the user still owns a schema, a role or a table. Here is how to find those owners and hand them over safely.
Finding Deprecated Features Before They Bite
Find deprecated features with SQL Server counters, event metadata, and code searches, then separate future risk from features already removed.
SQL SERVER – Technical Reference Guides for Designing Mission-Critical Solutions
While helping a friend, I found the Technical Reference Guides for Designing Mission-Critical Solutions, an interactive map of architecture guidance.