SQL Server instance metadata inventory with PowerShell and SMO
The purpose of this article is to introduce a PowerShell script that I wrote and published on...
2026-05-30 (first published: 2026-05-29)
11 reads
Track SQL Server Configuration Changes Using the Error Log
If you work with SQL Server long enough, you or someone will eventually want to know, “Did...
2026-05-29 (first published: 2026-05-14)
205 reads
Beware of Generic SQL Server License Keys (What to Use Instead)
I (think) realize that content here is probably more applicable to mid-to-large organizations than small...
2026-05-01 (first published: 2026-04-22)
389 reads
PowerShell Remoting for SQL DBAs: WinRM + SSH Guide (Updated 2026)
Originally published in 2023, this post never made it into Google's index, so I'm republishing it...
2026-04-03 (first published: 2026-03-26)
462 reads
Fix Slow, Bloated MSDB: Purge Old History And Add Missing Indexes
After tempdb, msdb is often the most abused system database, growing unchecked until it tanks...
2026-02-11 (first published: 2026-01-30)
536 reads
Reality (And Limits) of Instant File Initialization for Transaction Logs in SQL Server 2022
If you’ve spent any time tuning SQL Server, you’ve probably heard “Turn...
2026-02-09 (first published: 2026-01-27)
320 reads
Dry-run xp_delete_file Before Actually Deleting Files?
xp_delete_file doesn’t really have a built-in dry-run option to preview which files it would remove. But there’s a simple workaround,...
2025-12-10 (first published: 2025-11-27)
496 reads
Writing Better Dynamic SQL
This updated and "sort" of a style guide is for SQL developers and, to some extent, DBAs, essentially anyone daring (and sometimes...
2025-11-18
307 reads
Set Theory vs. Batch Mode in SQL Server
Not long ago, a colleague of mine was completely shocked when he first heard about SQL Server’s Batch Mode feature. His immediate...
2025-10-15 (first published: 2025-09-23)
584 reads
Measuring and Improving SQL Server Query Plan Cache Efficiency
The query plan cache hit ratio in SQL Server indicates the percentage of queries that are executed...
2025-07-11 (first published: 2025-06-24)
661 reads
By SQLPals
SQL Server instance metadata inventory with PowerShell and SMO The purpose...
Disclosure: this post may contain links to books as an affiliate link. If you...
By Arun Sirpal
Every Claude conversation has a context window. It is the total amount of text...
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Celebrating 30 years of PostgreSQL,...
Hello, has anyone here ever provisioned and actually used an MS SQL Server with...
Comments posted to this topic are about the item No More Deadlocks
After detecting deadlocks in SQL Server 2025 and lowering the time threshold for detecting future issues, when does the Database Engine return to the 5s default interval?
See possible answers