Unreported SQL Server Agent Job Failures

SQL Server Agent provides an easy-to-configure framework for notifying DBAs when jobs fail to run for any reason. Unfortunately, there are circumstances where job failures may not result in SQL Server sending a notification. For…

How long since you ran DBCC CHECKDB?

If you’re not regularly looking for corrupt databases with DBCC CHECKDB, you’re putting your organization’s data at risk. I run DBCC CHECKDB once per day, or as is reasonably possible. Typically, DBCC CHECKDB is setup…

Index reorg/rebuild script

Index fragmentation may be causing more I/O than necessary for efficient query processing. Fragmentation occurs as a result of inserting items into the middle of the index instead of appending them to the end. Inserting…

Capturing Index Usage Stats

Overview Index usage stats are invaluable for evaluating performance of existing indexes. Every time an index is used by the query-engine, an internal table is updated reflecting that usage. So, every time a scan, seek,…

Hidden tables in SSMS: detect and create them!

Did you know hidden tables may be lurking in your database? SQL Server Management Studio is a world-class database management toolset, and includes some really great features. Arguably the most-used feature is the Object Explorer…