Category: Microsoft SQL Server

Microsoft SQL Server Blog which includes troubleshooting, performance tuning, and database administration guides from an experienced SQL DBA, Peter Whyte.


  • How to Set the Default Database for SQL Server Users

    This blog post contains a quick guide on how to set your default database in SQL Server using SQL Management Studio. When you log into SQL Server using SSMS and open a new query window, you will automatically be set to use your logins default database which was…

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  • How to Open SSMS as a Different Domain User

    If you’re connecting to SQL Server within a corporate environment, you might need to connect to SQL Server using a different Domain User account. This can be done by opening SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) as a another user, which I’ll demo in this post. Connecting to SQL…

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  • Troubleshooting Database Mirroring Issues in SQL Server

    This article contains various ways for resolving database Mirroring issues in SQL Server, guiding you through the troubleshooting process. Maintaining high availability and data integrity in a SQL Server environment is one of the main priorities as a SQL DBA. One issue we may encounter is Mirrored databases…

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  • What’s New in SQL Server 2025

    Microsoft announced SQL Server 2025 at Microsoft Ignite, with major new features focused on AI and integrating Azure SQL DB capabilities into on-premises servers. Check out this Microsoft Announcement post for more information: Announcing Microsoft SQL Server 2025: Enterprise AI-ready database from ground to cloud Key Features –…

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  • How to Kill SPIDs in SQL Server

    In SQL Server, Session Process IDs (SPIDs) play a crucial role in identifying and managing SQL connections. The KILL (SPID) command serves as a tool for terminating troublesome sessions. This blog post provides an overview of the KILL command and its practical applications. The following is included in…

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  • How to Check Your SQL Server Version

    This post contains various ways for how to check the running Microsoft SQL Server version numbers, including: – Check SQL Version in SSMS Object Explorer – SQL Query to get SQL Version Info – Check SQL Server Log Files– Run the SQL Server Feature Discovery Report Why Check…

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  • How to Silently Install SSMS

    This is a note on how to silently install SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) via command (PowerShell). SSMS is a tool most people use when working with SQL Server. If you need to install SSMS on multiple computers, you may want to use the silent installation feature for…

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  • How to Increase Maximum Characters Displayed in SSMS

    In this post I’m showing you how to increase the maximum characters displayed in SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS). By default, the max number of characters displayed in a single column of a query in SSMS when outputting as text is 256 characters. This means sometimes if we…

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  • How to Add Columns to Tables in SQL Server

    This post contains a guide on how to add columns to tables in SQL Server, with tips and links to Microsoft Documentation along the way. As a SQL Server DBA, adding new columns to tables is a routine and simple task, often driven by evolving business requirements or…

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