Finance hates a missing invoice number. A small counter table and one short transaction keep the numbers gapless and restart them each year.
SET LOCK_TIMEOUT and Error 1222: Waiting Less for Locks
Set LOCK_TIMEOUT to bound lock waits, reproduce error 1222, clean up the transaction, and retry safely without confusing client timeouts.
XACT_ABORT: Why a Half-Done Transaction Can Survive an Error
Use XACT_ABORT to prevent partial writes, inspect transaction state after an error, and build a TRY CATCH pattern with reliable rollback.
An Error Handling Template for Stored Procedures With THROW
Build an error handling template with XACT_ABORT, XACT_STATE, durable error logging, and THROW, then test a forced procedure failure.
Accelerated Database Recovery Quiz: Why Did the Rollback Finish at Once?
This Accelerated Database Recovery Quiz asks how long a rollback takes when ADR is on. The answer is almost no time, and a tested script measures the same rollback with ADR off and on. It also shows what ADR costs.
Table Variables vs Temporary Tables Quiz: Which Survives a Rollback?
This Table Variables vs Temporary Tables Quiz inserts one row into each, then rolls back. The table variable keeps its row and the temporary table loses it. A tested script proves it, and two more scripts show a rollback-proof log and the statistics gap.
OUTPUT Clause Quiz: What Do inserted and deleted Hold?
This OUTPUT Clause Quiz raises a price from 10 to 12 and asks which two values come back. The answer is 10 and 12, because deleted holds the old row and inserted the new one. A tested script proves it and shows OUTPUT with INSERT, DELETE and an audit table.