So you mean a foreign key constraint that allows nulls versus one that does not? Yes, changing to not allowing null values could be more difficult because you'll have to...

First is the LEFT JOIN as described above, but second, compound primary keys. The JOIN criteria could simply require multiple columns. I've seen lots and lots of uses for multiple...

Contention for resources? Not sure without more information. Have you looked at the blocks and wait resources of the process while it's running? That's where I'd start in order to...

Sounds useful to me. I worked for an insurance company where we had to maintain our data in just such a manner with differing versions of data with differing effective...

OR can lead to scans on the index because multiple levels of testing are needed and you can't simply seek for values because of that. Depending on the use of...

A case statement in the SELECT list that just picks a value based on simple input shouldn't negatively impact performance. It's when you start putting all sorts of additional data...

Yeah, you nailed it. The extra bites are in the balanced tree of the index. But your napkin calculation should be fine for most purposes.

You might want to look at SQL Compare by Red Gate Software. It can compare objects between two databases, between scripts and a database, backup and a database or source...

It's actually a new thread from a divergence on another thread.

I'd say you need to define "down." Can SQL Server sit there chugging away with CPU hovering near 100% for...

Bing worked, but only returned a single hit.

If you're experiencing pain from Profiler, trace is one option, but since you're in 2008, you can use extended events. These are even more lightweight than trace and filter much...

Databases don't time out. Does the Profiler gui put a substantial load on a system that can cause memory issues, leading to blocking causing timeouts?...

But if there is a SQL Server 2012 instance, you can download and install SQL Server Management Studio for no cost. Actually, I don't even think you need to have...

I'd suggest a combination of capturing query performance metrics using extended events, and monitoring what is using tempdb by looking at sys.dm_db_session_space_usage dynamic management view. You need to know what...

And lanyrd is up to date now.