Category: SQL Server

SQL Server Blog Archives, by Peter Whyte (Database Administrator).
Includes: Database Admin, Management Studio (SSMS), Windows Admin, PowerShell, WSL, MSSQL Backups, Restores & more…

  • Stack Exchange Data Explorer

    As a DBA, I’ve found Stack Exchange Data Explorer to be a really useful tool for exploring and analyzing the data from the Stack Exchange network of websites. It’s kind of like having a SQL playground where you can run all sorts of queries and see what insights…

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  • Monitoring Database Growth Events in SQL Server

    Database growth events occur when a SQL Server database file reaches its capacity and automatically grows to accommodate more data. These events are configured in the database properties, where you can define growth increments in MB or GB. Properly configuring these settings is important for maintaining performance, as…

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  • Understanding Implicit vs. Explicit Data Conversion in SQL Server

    This post is here to help you understand implicit vs explicit data conversions in SQL Server. What is Data Conversion? Data conversion involves transforming data from one type to another. SQL Server facilitates this through two primary methods: Implicit Conversion> Occurs automatically when SQL Server can safely convert…

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  • Show Line Numbers in SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS)

    This is a quick tip on how to show line numbers in SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) query windows. Enabling line numbers can be useful, especially when you get an error message that points to a specific line in your code. While not strictly necessary, some developers prefer…

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  • Show Available Disk Space in SQL Server

    This blog post is to share a script that you can run in SQL Server (versions 2008 R2 and above) which shows the available disk space for all local volumes on a SQL Server host. I’m also including a quick note on how to get this information with…

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  • Killing SQL Server Processes (SPIDs)

    In SQL Server, processes (SPIDs) can sometimes become blocked, leading to performance issues. As a Database Administrator, you may need to terminate such processes to maintain system efficiency. This guide demonstrates how to identify and kill blocking SPIDs. Contents: > Creating a Blocking SPID> Killing a Blocking SPID>…

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  • Renaming a computer that hosts SQL Server

    When renaming a computer hosting SQL Server, you need to update system metadata to maintain connectivity for remote connections and applications. This process involves updating SQL Server’s registered hostname to match the new computer name. To rename a computer that hosts SQL Server, checkout my latest post on…

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  • Installing SQL Server 2017

    Installing SQL Server is relatively straightforward, but ensuring proper configuration from the outset helps avoid issues later. This guide walks through the key steps and best practices for setting up SQL Server 2017, highlighting essential pre-installation considerations and post-installation tasks. Before starting, consult Microsoft’s official docs: Planning a…

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  • Get Estimated Database Backup/Restore Time Script

    This post contains a SQL script to get estimated completion times and process information for your currently running database backups & restores in SQL Server. Backing up a database can often take a very long time. It depends on various factors, one obvious reason being, that the bigger…

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