SQL Server Case of the Week: Why the master database can have a lower compatibility level than the instance
June 26, 2026
Quick summary If you have ever done an in-place upgrade of SQL Server, the master database probably has a lower compatibility level than the other system databases. Context We were attempting to install a troubleshooting stored procedure in the master database of a SQL Server 2016 instance when we received the following error. Msg 195,
SQL Server Case of the Week: Login Complexity When Using Contained Availability Groups in SQL Server 2022
January 30, 2026
Summary of the Login Issue After building a contained availability group in SQL Server, a customer was experiencing intermittent issues connecting to their primary database. Our investigation revealed that the SQL Authentication login being used had been created both within the context of the contained AG as well as directly on the primary node but had different SIDs in
SQL Server Case of the Week: The tempdb Data File That Couldn’t Be Removed
January 23, 2026
Summary of tempdb data file issue It’s important to keep the data files in tempdb equally sized, because SQL Server’s internal algorithm wants to use tempdb files that have the most space. Equal sizes help you get equal distribution across all files, reducing the likelihood of contention on a single file. Context: Mismatched tempdb data
Distributed Availability Groups – Certificates, Crash Recovery, and Headaches (Case of the Week)
December 5, 2025
There are a ton of great resources out there teaching you how to build a Distributed Availability Group (DAG), but there aren’t many at all that help you troubleshoot them when they go bump. Fortunately for you (and unfortunately for me) I’ve had enough experience administering DAGs that I’d like to start to share the