In SQL Server 2008 and SQL Server 2008 R2, the number of partitions on tables and indexes is limited to 1,000. This paper discusses how SQL Server 2008 SP2 and SQL Server 2008 R2 SP1 address this limitation by providing an option to increase the limit to 15,000 partitions. It describes how support for 15,000 partitions can be enabled and disabled on a database. It also talks about performance characteristics, certain limitations associated with this support, known issues, and their workarounds. This support is targeted to enterprise customers and ISVs with large-scale decision support or data warehouse requirements.  Read more...

SQL 2008 has some key improvements over SQL 2005. This article deals with backup compression and faster backups in SQL 2008  Read more...

Gain an insight into how to use your SQL Server cluster for more than just high availibility in this article from Mark Jones.  Read more...

If you make the decision to upgrade to 2008, there are a number of tools that make the process easier, but you still need to understand what things you should consider. We have a new article from Arshad Ali to help you understand the process and what you should consider.  Read more...

The list of builds for SQL Server 2008 updated SP3.  Read more...

Robert Pearl brings us a few more potential SQL Server 2008 installation issues on Windows 7 and a few workarounds that might help you get around them.  Read more...

MVP Robert Pearl explains how to get around some common issues that might occur when installing SQL Server 2008 on Windows 7.  Read more...

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The Datetimeoffset Data Type was introduced in SQL Server 2008 (and .Net Frameword 3.5) and is the most advanced date and time date type available.  Read more...

How can I change the collation of SQL Server 2008? Learn how in this short tutorial.  Read more...

Procedure tries to kill all connections to the specified database.  Read more...

One of my client’s requirements is to migrate and consolidate his company departments’ databases to SQL Server 2008. As I know the environment, they are using MySQL , MS-Access and SQL Server with different applications. Now the company has decided to have a single dedicated SQL Server 2008 database server to host all the applications. So there are a few things to do to upgrade and migrate from MySQL and MS-Access to SQL Server 2008. For the migration task, I found the SQL Server Migration Assistant 2008 (SSMA 2008) is very useful which reduces the effort and risk of migration. So in this tip, I will do an overview of SSMA 2008.  Read more...

Details how to install a SQL Server 2008\2008R2 Failover Cluster Instance  Read more...

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A Stored Procedure for your tools database. It lists uncompressed tables and indexes and also generates the SQL to compress them.   Read more...

Will the FILLFACTOR Index option help to boost my database performance?  Read more...

Unless James Bond is in the picture, security is usually not a sexy topic. However, we all lament the lack...  Read more...

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SQL Server 2008 SP2 has been released.  Read more...