Category: SQL Server
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Recover a database with a DAMAGED and/or LOST log file
A corrupted or missing transaction log file is one of the most stressful situations a DBA can face. The first instinct is to restore from the last full backup — but depending on the circumstances, SQL Server offers faster recovery paths that minimize both downtime and data loss. This article walks through the two main…
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Anayze SQL default trace to investigate instance events
SQL Server runs a lightweight background trace called the default trace that records a wide range of server-level events: database auto-growth events, object creation and deletion, login failures, server configuration changes, and more. It’s often the first place to look when investigating an incident that didn’t make it into the error log. This article shows…
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SQL Jobs Monitoring: check last run datetime and duration
SQL Server Agent jobs are the backbone of automated database maintenance: backups, index rebuilds, integrity checks, ETL pipelines. Knowing at a glance when each job last ran and how long it took is essential for fast daily monitoring, especially when managing multiple instances. This query reads directly from the Agent system tables in msdb and…
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How to make your databases smaller and faster: find unused indexes
Indexes are one of the most powerful performance tools in SQL Server — and one of the most overlooked sources of overhead. Every index you create must be maintained on every INSERT, UPDATE, and DELETE operation. Unused indexes cost you disk space, backup time, memory, and write performance, without providing any read benefit. Finding and…
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Queries to see rapidly what your SQL Server is doing NOW
When troubleshooting performance issues on a SQL Server instance, the first step is always to understand what is happening right now: which queries are running, which sessions are blocking others, and where time is being spent waiting. These three T-SQL scripts give you an immediate picture of the current workload using Dynamic Management Views (DMVs).…