I illustrate why you should be very careful about oversizing varchar / nvarchar columns.

In this tip, I explain a simple trick to prevent accidental updates or deletes.

Tip : Performance Impact of SQL Server 2016 Row-Level Security

I show a "redundant" non-clustered index outperforming the clustered index with the same key.

I start a new series around disproving prevalent myths regarding SQL Server performance.

Tip : Auditing Who Changed Temporal Table Data in SQL Server

Tip : Managing Temporal Table History in SQL Server 2016

I show how to implement simple triggers that maintain trigram-type tables used for better supporting wildcard searches.

In an effort to make leading wildcard searches sargable, I play around with a trigram-type implementation in SQL Server.

Tip : Benefits of SCHEMABINDING in SQL Server

Tip : More on Recovering Access to a SQL Server Instance

I show that DISTINCT and GROUP BY are usually interchangeable, but there are cases where one performs better than the other.

I start digging deeper into the performance of string concatenation methods STRING_AGG and FOR XML PATH.

I take an initial look at the performance of a new function, STRING_AGG, in SQL Server v.Next CTP 1.1.

Tip : Top 5 Reasons for Wrong Results in SQL Server

I describe my steps for setting up a development stack, with VS Code on Mac, managing SQL Server on Ubuntu, inside a Docker container.

Tip : New Features in SQL Server 2016 Service Pack 1

After a conversation online, I show where excessive comments in your stored procedures might have an impact on performance.

I explain why I always opt for one of these options over the other.

We've all accidentally placed objects in master. In this tip, I show how you can clean it up a little.

I refreshed the demo kit that helps you learn (or teach!) the ins and outs of SentryOne Plan Explorer.

I explain why you shouldn't bother adding ORDER BY to views in SQL Server.

I explains why I code defensively – matching the case of data type names, even when it is irrelevant.

I run some tests to challenge the notion that CHARINDEX is always faster at pattern matching than LEFT and LIKE.

I talk about two core issues to consider when choosing a standard for stored procedure names.

I continue a series on widening an IDENTITY column, showing how I would attack the problem directly.

I take a look at one of the classic debates in SQL Server: whether to support Unicode.

Tip : Beware of Side-Channel Attacks in Row-Level Security in SQL Server 2016

I follow up on a recent post about DATEFROMPARTS() with a deeper look into the estimates and potential mitigation techniques.

I ask you to vote for and, more importantly, comment on a Connect item aimed at adding MAXDOP controls to statistics updates.

Continuing the #EntryLevel challenge, I discuss optimizing the kitchen sink procedure with dynamic SQL and, optionally, OPTION (RECOMPILE).

For T-SQL Tuesday #78, I take a look at whether RID Lookups are faster than key Lookups, with a small battery of fairly simple duration tests.

I explain some of the more common acronyms you might see flung around in blog posts, Connect items, and Knowledge Base articles.

I explore yet another scenario where a date/time function seems to cause the optimizer to behave unexpectedly.

I give four quick tips on using date and time values effectively in SQL Server.

Following up on an earlier post about metadata, I reveal a few more ways I discover changes in SQL Server.

Tip : Extracting ShowPlan XML from SQL Server Extended Events

I share some insight about early changes to Plan Explorer that help to provide you with the most accurate information we can.

In this post, I talk about synonyms and how they can be used.

Tip : The SQL Server Numbers Table, Explained – Part 2

I revisit the impact that eliminating DONE_IN_PROC messages using SET NOCOUNT ON may or may not have on query performance.

Tip : The SQL Server Numbers Table, Explained – Part 1

I continue a series on upsizing an IDENTITY column from INT to BIGINT – this time focusing on workarounds.

I continue a series on upsizing an IDENTITY column from int to bigint, detailing several challenging obstacles.

A recent Visual Studio outage has been largely blamed on the cardinality estimator, but I think the query itself has a share of the blame.

I describe a few different causes for a symptom you might describe as a "runaway" query in SQL Server.

As part of a new series, I take a look at what happens to the structure of a page when an INT column needs to be upsized to a BIGINT.

I compare the performance of different UDFs and raw queries used for splitting and reassembling a delimited string.