My Adventures with the SQL 2005 Security Cache
Introduction
For that past couple of months I have been chasing performance issues with one of the most high profile servers...
2010-03-09
513 reads
Adventures in SQL
Why Do My SQL 2008 Compressed Backups Shrink?
Introduction
Recently a coworker was doing some research with SQL 2008 Backup Compression on a very large database. During the testing...
2010-02-25
432 reads
Why Do I Need All These Servers?
Introduction
I am frequently getting requests for a new server to do this or that. Running through the usual questions to...
2010-02-23
483 reads
Stored Procedure to Sequentially Run SQL Agent Jobs
Introduction
Here is another one of my utility scripts. Lately it seems like all I am blogging about is utility scripts,...
2010-02-01
2,658 reads
Stored Procedure to Get SQL Job Execution Status
Introduction
Ever need a programmatic way to figure out if a SQL Agent job is running? I did. After spending a...
2010-01-31
2,569 reads
Using sp_ExecuteSql to Run Dynamic SQL
Introduction
Lately it seems like I am being bombarded by Dynamic SQL and people who insist it is the only way...
2010-01-21
652 reads
Stored Procedures to Store and Get Database Users with All Permissions
Introduction
Traditionally when doing a restore, moving a database, etc. a DBA would simply go into Management Studio and use the...
2009-12-31
1,803 reads
Script Individual User Rights in a Database with PowerShell
Introduction
Tonight on Twitter the call went out on #SqlHelp looking for a way to script just database permissions for a...
2009-12-31
1,449 reads
A Busy/Accidental DBA’s Guide to Managing VLFs
Introduction
Properly managing VLFs can make or break the performance of your databases. There is a ton of information out there...
2009-12-21
883 reads
How to Shrink TempDB in SQL 2005
Introduction
From time to time you find yourself needing to shrink some space out of TempDB. Shrinking database files is never...
2009-12-17
3,068 reads
Blogs
How to Clear the SSMS Cache (SSMS 21 and Later)
By SQLPals
How to Clear the SSMS Cache (SSMS 21 and Later) Updated...
The flight recorder: Replaying what an AI agent did on my SQL Server
By Arun Sirpal
“What exactly did it do on my server?” is the first question a DBA...
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...
Forums
Let's Talk Certifications
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Let's Talk Certifications
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