This level takes a deeper look at how log fragmentation can affect the performance of operations that need to read the log, such as log backups, or the crash recovery process.
2025-08-27 (first published: 2013-04-17)
7,923 reads
This level will examine the most common problems and forms of mismanagement that lead to excessive growth of the transaction log.
2025-08-13 (first published: 2012-11-26)
13,602 reads
A DBA may consider switching a database to the BULK_LOGGED recovery model in the short term during, for example, bulk load operations. When a database is operating in the BULK_LOGGED model these, and a few other operations such as index rebuilds, can be minimally logged and will therefore use much less space in the log
2025-07-30 (first published: 2012-11-07)
6,040 reads
Gail Shaw is often left bewildered by the weird and wonderful data types people choose for their tables, when storing something as simple as a telephone number or a date.
2024-07-12 (first published: 2015-02-02)
706 reads
At first glance, the question of how many rows are estimated from a table variable is easy. But, is it really that simple? Well, not really. To dig into...
2020-12-23 (first published: 2020-12-15)
424 reads
At first glance, the question of how many rows are estimated from a table variable is easy. But, is it really that simple? Well, not really. To dig into...
2020-12-15
16 reads
It’s a few days into April, but not too late I hope to mention that Pluralsight is offering their entire library, free to new accounts, for the month of...
2020-04-16 (first published: 2020-04-07)
523 reads
It’s a few days into April, but not too late I hope to mention that Pluralsight is offering their entire library, free to new accounts, for the month of...
2020-04-07
9 reads
Gail Shaw issues a rallying call for the SQL Community to adopt the Scientific Method when investigating and reporting on SQL Server behavior.
2019-09-09 (first published: 2015-05-25)
613 reads
Indexes are critical to good performance. However many people don't understand how indexes well. MVP Gail Shaw provides us with an introductory article on the basics of indexing.
2019-05-30 (first published: 2009-10-26)
104,087 reads
By Steve Jones
I had an idea for an animated view of a sales tool, and started...
Next Monday, February 9, 2026, my one-day live online training SQL Server Query Tuning...
By Steve Jones
One of the features we advocates have been advocating for is a better way...
I am creating shared datasets that our executive staff can use for creating reports...
I am creating shared datasets that our executive staff can use for creating reports...
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Delta Lake: The Definitive Guide:...
In SQL Server 2025, what is returned from this code:
DECLARE @message VARCHAR(50) = 'Hello SQL Server 2025!'; DECLARE @encoded VARCHAR(MAX); SET @encoded = BASE64_ENCODE(CAST(@message AS VARBINARY(1000))); SELECT BASE64_DECODE(@encoded)See possible answers