this is a long shot, but maybe SOUNDEX may help you (language dependent). Check BOL

maybe those servers tcp\ip settings are being set to hide from the network ?

(EM\server-properties\network config\tcp-ip)

- Which timeout has been set by the application ?

   (and which do you use with QA)

- This is a result of an ADO-recordset.

          Why use a recordset...

adding to Steve's solution.

To avoid this, make this current user member of db_owners group and make an other user db owner (sp_changedbowner @loginame = 'yyy' ,@map = 'true'

). This way...

connection pooling

this will keep the connection alive for a while (default 60sec ?) because apparently building a connection taks a lot of resources....

EdVassie points to the right direction.

Here's more :

http://www.sqlservercentral.com/columnists/sjones/wheredoiwanttogotodayrichdatatypes.asp

http://www.sqlservercentral.com/columnists/lsmith/storingandretrievingbinarydatainsqlserver.asp

http://www.sql-server-performance.com/asp_sql_server.asp

http://www.sql-server-performance.com/q&a17.asp

http://www.sqlteam.com/item.asp?ItemID=986

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/periodic/period98/image.htm

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/periodic/period98/asp98b1.htm

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/partbook/asp/binarydata.htm

I hope this gets you on track :

SELECT country_code

, sum(case when datepart(ww,TsCrea) = datepart(ww,dateadd(ww,-13,getdate())) then 1 else 0 end) as count_13

, sum(case when datepart(ww,TsCrea) = datepart(ww,dateadd(ww,-12,getdate())) then 1 else 0...

in addition to the other replies:

- If you know you'll need 13,5 Gb why do you try to shrink to 4 Gb ?

  This way sqlserver will have to allocate...

an other 2ct.

The best things about nulls is you don't need to use them.

So only define null alowed when you need null, when it makes sence for your datamodel...

Actualy, I don't consider this to be nitpicking

Your comments do point to brainteaser issues, when one does not keep in mind sqlserver...

please elaborate.

You could take a log-backup and move that from your db-server.

Check recovery-models in BOL.

If your logfiles grow more than you'd expect, or you've performed an operation causing the...

dbo is the default schema SQLserver has implemented.

If a user (lets say User0 )performs "select * from mytable" SQLserver will first search an object...

Should result in 2 rows.

Is this on a multi-processor sqlserver-box ? try queryhint maxdop 1.

In addition to Allen Cui's reply :

' Select into/bulk copy'  will alow non-logged operations.

This will have some recovery disadvantages.

Check SQL7 BOL.

found this in my sql-log :

The Select Into/Bulk Copy option...

 Check these articles http://www.sqlservercentral.com/columnists/jsack/aweadventures.asp

http://www.sql-server-performance.com/awe_memory.asp