Backup retention should preserve restore chains while meeting recovery, legal, and storage needs across full, differential, and log backups.
log_reuse_wait_desc: Why the Transaction Log Will Not Shrink
log_reuse_wait_desc tells you why SQL Server cannot reuse its transaction log, so you know why a shrink gives nothing back. This post causes LOG_BACKUP and ACTIVE_TRANSACTION on purpose in a test database on SQL Server 2025, measures the log and fixes each one.
SQL SERVER – Move Database Files MDF and LDF to Another Location
Your new database sits in the default location and keeps growing. Here is how to move the MDF and LDF database files to another disk or drive.
Why a Second Log File Does Not Make Anything Faster
Adding a second log file feels like a speed fix, but it is only a spare room. Here is how to watch it work and how to retire it.
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.
CHECKPOINT Behavior Quiz: What Lets the Log Be Reused?
This CHECKPOINT Behavior Quiz asks what lets SQL Server reuse transaction log space under the SIMPLE and FULL recovery models. The answers differ, and a tested script shows both. It also shows how one open transaction keeps the log from being reused.
Reading the Transaction Log With fn_dblog
fn_dblog can expose transaction-log records during a narrow investigation, but retention and missing user context make it a last resort.