Old Dog? New Tricks..

Reading a blog this week, I learned quite a few new tips and tricks about SQL Server Management Studio. Incremental Serach (No annoying search window pop-up and searches as you type), replace within files from SSMS!!, Block Selects and Moves for the T-SQL Code formatting OCDers (like me). Check it out and add Aaron to … Read more

Don’t Touch that SQL ServerShrink Database Button!

Updated [2016] This post continues to be a popular destination for searches like “How do I shrink a database?”  I made some copy edits. I also wanted to reiterate a default position: It isn’t usually a good idea to shrink your SQL Server database. There are exceptions, but they are exceptions. This post is part 1 in a series … Read more

Good use for WITH RECOMPILE

Haven’t looked into all of the details underneath but at the surface probably a good reminder of where WITH RECOMPILE can be helpful… Using SQL Server Reporting Services, a workaround was used (this is the part I want to look into more) to basically get a blank report showing when a user first links to … Read more

Rolling Back (or is it??)

Interesting Issue Today/Yesterday – A query was using a linked server to grab data from DB2 via an ODBC connection. Normal execution time is about 15 minutes. This had run on for at least 7 hours when it was decided to kill it, appeared to be doing nothing but causing blocks (due to Intent Shared … Read more

Troubleshooting Methodology

What is a troubleshooting methodology? A lot of the technical problems I encounter with clients or in various roles are not really the fault of the technology at hand. They are either the result of rushed work, apathetic work or botched troubleshooting. Before talking about what troubleshooting is, let’s talk about what it is not. … Read more