Your SQL Server Is Whispering…Are You Listening?
Early Warnings of a Meltdown (and How to Catch Them) Most SQL Server crashes don’t come out of nowhere. They leave breadcrumbs – red flags that something’s not right....
2025-05-07
115 reads
Kevin3NF
- Interests: Cycling, family, sci-fi, DBA stuff
SQL Server Budgets: How to Justify Cost to Management
Ever tried to request SQL Server funding from the CFO? Your systems, your data, your customer experience – they all rely on that “invisible” database engine humming along behind...
2025-05-01
69 reads
SQL Server Wait Stats
Everything in SQL Server is waiting for something…this is by design. And most people never think about it… Until your application is waiting to complete its request, sell the...
2025-04-30 (first published: 2025-04-16)
414 reads
The Cost of Not Having a DBA
Does skipping a DBA save money? Wait until your system grinds to a halt, your backups fail, or your cloud bill skyrockets. The “DBA? We Don’t Need No Stinkin’...
2025-04-14 (first published: 2025-04-02)
607 reads
Why Your SQL Server Backups Aren’t Enough
SQL Server backups are database insurance – you don’t really appreciate them until disaster strikes. But here’s the kicker: having backups doesn’t mean your data is safe. If you’re...
2025-04-09
162 reads
SQL Server Source Control on a $0 Budget
The Source Control Dilemma Every DBA has been there. Trying to keep track of database schema changes while developers have their fancy Git repositories and version control workflows. Meanwhile,...
2025-03-27
154 reads
SQL Server Performance – What IT Leaders Need to Know
IT leaders have a lot on their plates! Budgets, staffing, security, uptime, and keeping everything running smoothly. When SQL Server performance becomes an issue, a common reaction is often...
2025-03-26 (first published: 2025-03-13)
6,962 reads
Mistakes IT Shops Without a DBA Make
We get it. There’s no budget for a DBA on staff, or even a contract support firm like Dallas DBAs. You are not alone! There are thousands of firms...
2025-03-19 (first published: 2025-03-07)
625 reads
Our SQL Server is Slow! What Do I Do First?
Don’t Panic! It’s a vague but common complaint, frequently with no additional details. Before blindly restarting SQL Server, let’s walk through quick checks that don’t require deep DBA skills....
2025-03-19
279 reads
SQL Server Time Bombs
Common Reasons for Emergency SQL calls If you are a production DBA (or Accidental prod DBA) you’ve gotten that frantic call in the middle of the night. Or maybe...
2025-03-12 (first published: 2025-02-28)
570 reads
Blogs
Announcements from the Microsoft Fabric Community Conference — Barcelona 2026
By James Serra
Microsoft shared a broad set of Fabric, Power BI, and SQL updates at FabCon...
Au Revoir for now
By Steve Jones
No, I’m not quitting or retiring. Just going on vacation, but I leave tonight...
Forums
Let's Talk Certifications
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Let's Talk Certifications, which is...
The Hidden Security Risks of Role Combination in SSAS Tabular
Comments posted to this topic are about the item The Hidden Security Risks of...
The Empty Aggregate
Comments posted to this topic are about the item The Empty Aggregate
Question of the Day
The Empty Aggregate
I have this table in a SQL Server 2025 database:
CREATE TABLE [dbo].[CustomerOrder] ( [OrderID] [int] NULL, [CustomerID] [int] NULL, [total] [money] NULL ) ON [PRIMARY] GOWhat is returned from this code? (answers are for the sum and then the count)
SELECT SUM(total) AS sum,
COUNT(total) AS count
FROM dbo.CustomerOrder;
See possible answers