OK so the second screenshot when you are logging into management studio, what are you putting in the server name?

The correct format is:

servername\[sqlexpress]

TRY: localhost\sqlexpress

might work.

SQL Express is...

Great post (and replies)! Something I have given an awful lot of thought too.

Currently and always have been an employee; I've worked for some bad companies and some...

I'd suggest that you have maybe installed the tools but not the actual database server. Perhaps go back to the beginning and try an install again - it will...

Just to echo Gail's suggestion; BIG fan of this book: grab the free PDF and have a look through - it will guide you through the components of execution plans...

Database isn't compressed already is it?

OK so just in case nayone stumbles on this, the edition upgrade (under maintenance) of the installation will allow a licence update as well as version i.e. developer to enterprise...

I thought as much, just wasnt sure if SQL itself issued an ALTER command - thanks as always Gail

Thanks Gail

Well, I cant be 100% sure that an ad hoc query was not ran during testing but I'd like to think that isn't the case. I did wonder...

Sorry Gail, should have added that I've gone through the sprocs and had a look, no overrides via a hint that I can see.

D

GilaMonster (7/3/2014)

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Just to put things in perspective and explain where that myth comes from...

During the development of SQL Server 7, a particular piece of reference hardware in the MS lab...

Thanks Gail/Grant - I have to admit it was the cause of some debate in the office as my colleague spotted the chapter in the book and I was adamant...

GilaMonster (7/3/2014)

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Neither cost threshold nor subtree costs are measured in minutes. They're a unit-less number that only makes sense when compared to another cost.

A query of cost 14 should be...

Of course, it's here!

http://sqlmonitormetrics.red-gate.com/plan-cache-hit-ratio/

I can just hear our storage guy shouting "YOU WANT AN EXTRA 30Gb???!!!" 🙂

Yes for AX then MAXDOP = 1 is the recommended setting however with the lack of CXPACKET waits and because we aren't really in the production/transactional stages of the implementation...