I have been involved in countless database migrations. Most of the time I have access to the existing source servers and future destination servers. In cases where you have access to both environments, it is very easy to evaluate and clean up any issues with the source databases. In situations where you are only provided […]
Category: Backups/Recovery
Careful When Changing SQL Server Database File Extensions
I recently had a friend reach out to me about database performance dropping drastically. I asked if anything had changed recently on the server, and they told me that all they had done was increase the number of files for tempdb from 1 to 8 per best practice. Knowing that this shouldn’t have a negative impact […]
SQL Server Recovery Models
When I review customers database environments, I always check to see what the recovery model is for their databases and review that with the customer. I often times have to explain the three recovery models and what they are used for. Simple, Full, and Bulk-Logged. The recovery model that you select will determine how transaction […]
Why You Should Test Your SQL Server Backups
My number one reason that you should test your backups is to make sure you know how to restore/recover. The absolute worst time to learn how to restore is when a restore is needed. By regularly testing your backups, you build up muscle memory in how to recover. By regularly validating your restore solution, you’ll […]
Reasons Why SQL Servers Don’t Get Configured to Industry Best Practices
Throughout my career, I’ve worked on a LOT of different SQL Servers. Many that were installed and configured by application administrators, developers, vendors, and data professionals. I’ve seen servers with straight defaults and others with various industry accepted best practices applied. One of my favorite sessions I present is “Common SQL Server Mistakes and How […]
Common Issues with SQL Server Backups
I absolutely love talking about SQL Server backup and restores. It is one of my favorite sessions to give at user groups and conferences all over the world. I’ve also written a couple of books on the topic. Over the many years of working with Microsoft SQL Server, I tend to see the same mistakes […]
SQL Server Partitioning for Performance
Often enough I get questions regarding partitioning to try to help alleviate performance issues with very large tables. A common misconception is that due to the table being large, when queries are run against it and SQL Server has to read the entire table, if you partition the table, SQL Server will read less data. […]
How to Reset the SA Password When Locked Out
Getting locked out of a SQL Server instance can happen due to a number of situations. The most common scenario I’ve encountered is when a SQL Server is moved from one domain to another without the domain being trusted or having a local SQL admin account. I recently encountered another incident where a DBA was […]