SQL Server Articles

No reasonable strategy for the resolution of SQL Server blocking problems can be found until one has determined the precise nature of the block. The most obvious criterion for distinguishing between different blocking issues is their average duration. The following categories emerge as a result of this division: Short-time Blocking: Average duration less than three [...]

While SQL Server has a very mature set of tools, one thing that is lacking is the ability to send a simple email alert based on a pre-defined set of rules. At first glace, it appears that email notifications exist, but what becomes a problem to many people is the requirement for a MAPI subsystem [...]

Chris is the author of the book, SQL Server for the Oracle DBA Those running Windows 2000 can take advantage of the EFS (encrypted file system) for encrypting SQL Server database and/or backup files. In some organizations, encrypting data is mandatory, and as you might expect, it can exact a performance penalty. In this article, [...]

There is a growing demand for high performing, fast response applications in today’s industry. In many organizations, a SQL Server 2000 server may be dedicated for the use of one particular application. From the ground up, analyzing and determining hardware requirements best suited for individual specific applications may help these application provide the timely response [...]

Triggers are special types of Stored Procedures that are defined to execute automatically in place of or after data modifications. They can be executed automatically on the INSERT, DELETE and UPDATE triggering actions. There are two different types of triggers in Microsoft SQL Server 2000. They are INSTEAD OF triggers and AFTER triggers. These triggers [...]

Indexing is one of the most crucial elements in increasing the performance of SQL Server. A well-written query will not show its effectiveness unless powered by an appropriate index or indexes on the table(s) used in a query, especially if the tables are large. Indexes exist to make data selection faster, so the focus of [...]

Peter Gulutzan and Trudy Pelzer are the co-authors of SQL Performance Tuning, a new book on how to performance tune SQL code. In this interview, the authors tell us a little about their book and offer some advice for DBAs and SQL developers. Please tell us about yourselves. PETER GULUTZAN: I worked for a few [...]

NOTE: See bottom of page to access all of the available articles. Abstract Quantitative models for the SQL Server internal query cost formulas and the true measured query costs for basic SQL operations are presented. The internal cost formulas are used by SQL Server’s Query Optimizer to determine the execution plan based on existing indexes [...]

Processor performance is a complex subject and cannot be characterized in a meaningful manner with a single number or benchmark score. Some insight into the factors that influence performance can be gained by examining performance across a range of processor characteristics, including frequency, cache size, bus bandwidth, and processor architecture. The best known database benchmarks [...]

Return to Previous Article in the Series Index Performance Audit Checklist Indexing Checklist Your Response Have you run the Index Tuning Wizard recently? Does every table in each database have a clustered index? Are any of the columns in any table indexed more than once? Are there any indexes that are not being used in [...]