SQL DBA Blog

Microsoft SQL DBA Blog

Published by Peter Whyte, an experienced SQL Server Database Administrator.

  • SQL Script to Get AAG Latency

    In this post, I’m sharing a script that I use frequently as a Production SQL DBA to check Always On Availability Group (AAG) latency. Always On Availability Groups (AAG) are a high-availability and disaster recovery solution in SQL Server, allowing you to synchronize databases across multiple replicas. These…

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  • SQL Server User Permissions Audit Script

    As a Production SQL DBA, checking user permissions is a task I handle frequently. Whether it’s for proactive audits, troubleshooting access issues, or responding to unexpected requests, having a quick and reliable way to verify user permissions is needed. One of the most useful tools I rely on…

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  • Creating SQL Logins on an Availability Group (AG) Environment

    In an Always On Availability Group (AG) environment, SQL logins must be configured with consistent Security Identifiers (SIDs) across all replicas to avoid issues like orphaned users and ensure seamless authentication during failovers. For Domain users in SQL, this sync’s automatically and we just need to create the…

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  • CIDR Conversion Table / Subnet Calculator

    This blog post provides a quick reference table for CIDR notation, subnet masks, and host counts, making it a valuable tool for tasks like configuring security groups, firewall rules, and subnetting. It simplifies network planning and ensures accurate IP address allocation for efficient and secure network setups. CIDR…

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  • Removing Quotes from all CSV Files in a Directory

    Managing CSV files often involves cleaning up data before processing. A common task is removing unwanted quotation marks from the contents of CSV files. I wrote a blog post on how to remove quotes from a single CSV file using PowerShell some years ago, which I have just…

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  • Keeping SQL Server and Critical Systems Up to Date

    Applying the latest patches to SQL Server, Windows OS, and underlying hardware is a vital part of maintaining secure, high-performing systems. For many organizations, this is done on a regular schedule—monthly, quarterly, or aligned with specific maintenance windows. However, for business-critical, 24/7 systems, patching takes extra planning and…

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  • 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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Useful SQL DBA Posts

SQL Server Performance
– Get Full SQL Server System Info Fast
– Quick Performance Troubleshooting Scripts
– Identify Missing & Unused Indexes
– Get Wait Stats & Top Consuming Queries
– Get Exclusive Locks on Tables
– Get Last Node Blip in SQL Server FCI
Security & Maintenance
– Get Estimated Database Backup/Restore Time
– Get Last Database Backup Dates/Times
– Get Database Sizes & Space Used
– How to Get Table Sizes
– Get Index & Heap Fragmentation Levels
– Get SQL User Permissions and Roles
– Creating SQL Users on Availability Groups
– Audit Failed Login Attempts

Categories
Tags

Always On Availability Groups (AAG) (4) AWS (4) AWS Redshift (6) Database Admin (72) Database Backups & Recovery (14) Database Mirroring (2) Error Messages (5) Failover Cluster Instances (FCI) (1) Git Commands (6) Importing & Exporting Data (2) Linked Servers (3) Linux Administration (2) Logging & Monitoring (1) Microsoft Patching (2) MySQL (4) Postgres (6) PowerShell Scripts (2) SQL Certificates & Encryption (3) SQL Server Agent (5) SQL Server CDC (2) SQL Server Data Types (2) SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) (17) SQL Server Networking (3) SQL Server on Linux (1) SQL Server Patching (2) SQL Server Performance Tuning (6) SQL Server Processes (SPIDs) (7) SQL Server Replication (2) SQL Server Scripts (13) SQL Server Security (4) SQL Server Storage (10) Windows Admin (20) Windows Authentication (2) Windows Automation (1) Windows Events (2) Windows Firewall (4) Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) (18)