Extended Events: system_health and a Long Running Query
Wouldn’t it be great to just quickly and easily take a look at your system to see if you had any queries that ran for a long time, but,...
2020-03-16 (first published: 2020-03-09)
585 reads
The Scary DBA
A Rose By Any Other Name
There is only one kind of execution plan within SQL Server. I’ve said this several times on this blog. Now, I’d like you to go and read this excellent...
2020-03-11 (first published: 2020-03-03)
339 reads
Query Store, Plan Forcing, and DROP/CREATE
I absolutely love Query Store and the ability it provides to force a plan is amazing. However, there are a lot of little gotchas in this functionality. I just...
2020-03-09 (first published: 2020-03-02)
421 reads
Are You Still Worried About Data in the Cloud?
There really are technology stacks and business use cases that should never be moved off of big iron. Then there’s the rest of us. Chances are very high if...
2020-03-03 (first published: 2020-02-27)
570 reads
Redgate Software Needs You!
I’ve been very blessed to be able to work for Redgate Software. We’ve done some amazing stuff over the years. We’re going to be doing even more amazing stuff...
2020-02-24
39 reads
Extended Events: Database Auditing
Extended Events can do things that simply are not possible with Profiler and another example comes from the stack of audit events that exist only in Extended Events. One...
2020-02-24
63 reads
Why I Support Code Automation Tools Like ORMs
I know I’m a weirdo. I’ve always been a weirdo. When I was a DBA (now I only play one on TV), I was a weirdo too. Case in...
2020-02-25 (first published: 2020-02-17)
551 reads
Be Kind
Simply put, we are not always going to agree. Please, take this as someone who was nicknamed “The Scary DBA” for reasons comic and tragic. I’ve screwed up a...
2020-02-18 (first published: 2020-02-11)
482 reads
Extended Events: Histogram Output
The single most important thing to remember about Extended Events is that this functionality is not simply a replacement for Profiler/Trace, but a whole new tool with new functionality....
2020-02-14 (first published: 2020-02-10)
406 reads
The State of Database DevOps 2020
I’ve been an advocate for database DevOps since before DevOps was a thing. When I first switched from being a developer full-time to being a DBA full-time, the first...
2020-02-10 (first published: 2020-02-04)
337 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