In 2005 use ordered GUID's. They make a huge difference in performance, especially if you have clustered indexes on the GUID. In 2000, you'll have to just deal with the...

Any time you're asked to tune a performance problem but told you can't touch the code (unless it's a third party app), you need to push back. More often than...

How many rows are in the table? I ran into a similar issue and posted it on Microsoft Connect because I thought I had a bug. It has to do...

We have similar problems. We've used two steps to resolve it. First, identify absolute owners of all the data you possibly can. The primary keys generated by those owning systems...

One way that comes to mind is to have a tinyint column that you increment manually as you insert data. Put two constraints on the column, one to make it...

There's a dependency in there somewhere. Why not get a copy of Red Gate's Dependency Checker (or whatever it's called) and run it against the database. It's VERY thorough and...

Sweet. Thanks for posting that Jeff.

One key word stands out in the problem statement, "almost." Variations in the results, even small ones, can result in larger variations in execution times.

However, that's usually when there's problems...

I agree with GSquared. The approach is not worrying about whether or not the partition is justified. They want to partition. Now, do they manage stored procedures in a central...

I generally look to scans & reads as the primary measure of how well a procedure or statement is performing, but when you're in the GUI, looking at the information...

Rog Saber (6/3/2008)

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I have a scales table. Below is an example of data which may be in the table. A truck comes in with a trailer (or 2 trailers). I...

Absolutely. Nothing is perfect. I do love SQL Prompt, but I recognize it's weaknesses. For example, I've had it, out of the blue, chew up all the system resources. It's...

Amen to table variables and bad statistics. Especially table variables. I'd still love to see what Jeff's got on the subject.

Another one I haven't read but would like to is "The Art of SQL." I'm not sure of the authors name. Several people I talked to says it's a great...

And in addition to making sure the App is pointed at the right database, make sure you are.