We are launching public SQL Server 2005/2008 Query Optimization and Performance Tuning Training in Hyderabad, which I will lead, with a computer for everyone.
Keeping Up With SQL Server Without Drowning
Make keeping up SQL Server knowledge manageable with release-note reviews, one deep topic each quarter, and a small record of relevant changes.
geometry STCrosses: Crossing Depends on the Intersection Dimension
geometry STCrosses uses the dimension and interior position of the intersection to define crossing. I compare it with endpoint contact and collinear overlap. A shared point or segment does not automatically satisfy that definition.
Correlated Columns and Multi-Column Statistics in SQL Server
Investigate multi-column statistics with correlated city and state values, density vectors, and plans before expecting better estimates.
SQL Server Cheat Sheet
This is a post about a SQL Server cheat sheet, but not yet. First comes the history of the cheat sheet, from the first cave wall to the recipe card that cheats you, and the five laws every cheat sheet obeys. Then the new 2025 edition.
What Is Locking and Blocking in SQL Server?
Locking and blocking are not the same thing, and the difference is the whole subject. I blocked a session on purpose and read it from the DMVs. Why short blocking is healthy, and why NOLOCK fixes nothing.
SQL SERVER – Enable Identity Insert – Import Expert Wizard
An SSIS package failed with an identity error because both tables had identity columns. Checking Enable identity insert in the Import Expert Wizard fixed it.