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Why SQL Server CPU Pressure Isn’t What Task Manager Shows

Task Manager’s CPU percentage hides real CPU pressure. Learn which SQL Server counter shows it and what a healthy loaded server actually looks like.

ReportServer database size rarely grows from report definitions. See which tables, in the catalog and its temp database, actually reserve the space.

In our data-driven world, having a reliable backup for your SQL Server data is just half the battle; knowing how to effectively recover that data… Read More »Are you ready to restore those backups?

A SQL Server residual predicate lets an index seek report success while it reads and discards most of the rows it touched. Here’s how to… Read More »The SQL Server Residual Predicate Hiding in Your Plan

What is in master often surprises the team that has to rebuild it: credentials, triggers, and startup procedures nobody documented.

Azure SQL Health Monitor Stedman SQL Podcast Sn 3 Ep 15 Join Steve Stedman and Mitchell Glasscock for Season 3, Episode 16 of the Stedman… Read More »Azure SQL Health Monitor Stedman SQL Podcast Sn 3 Ep 15

Database Health Monitor 4.1540 adds 63 reports, 25 features and 515 bug fixes. Here is what that release actually means for a consulting practice or… Read More »What a 515-Bug-Fix Release Says About the SQL Server Estate You Cannot See

See what changed in the query plan the moment SQL Server switches to a new one, lane by lane, before you force the old plan… Read More »What Changed in the Query Plan Before It Got Slower

Who gets SQL Server email? Operators are only part of the answer. Learn how to find every address, the leavers and the dead mailboxes.

Recovering from a ransomware attack is a critical aspect of backup and recovery for SQL Server. Ransomware is a type of malicious software that encrypts… Read More »Ransomware attack and your backup and recovery plan