Author: Steve Stedman

Common Uses of TempDB in SQL Server TempDB is one of the most critical system databases in SQL Server. It serves as a globally available, temporary storage area used by the SQL Server Database Engine for various operations. Unlike other databases, TempDB is recreated each time SQL Server restarts, ensuring that no persistent data is stored. Due to its frequent and intensive use, TempDB performance is crucial to overall SQL Server Performance. Below are the most common uses of TempDB: …

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Tidying Up Your SQL Server: Removing Leftover DTA Tables SQL Server administrators and developers often use the Microsoft Database Tuning Advisor (DTA) to analyze and enhance database performance. While DTA is an effective tool, it tends to leave behind monitoring tables in the msdb database after its use. Why Do These Tables Exist? When you run the Database Tuning Advisor, it creates temporary tables to store analysis data. If DTA doesn’t clean up properly due to an interrupted session or …

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Mastering SQL Server Performance: The Power of Cost Threshold for Parallelism In the intricate dance of SQL Server performance tuning, few settings wield as much influence as the Cost Threshold for Parallelism (CTFP). This unassuming configuration parameter is a linchpin in determining how SQL Server harnesses the power of parallel query execution—spreading workloads across multiple CPU cores to boost speed. But like any powerful tool, it’s a double-edged sword: wield it wisely, and you unlock blazing performance; misuse it, and …

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Understanding the LOGMGR_RESERVE_APPEND Wait Type in SQL Server Need help with this wait type or others, Stedman Solutions can help. Find out how with a free no risk 30 minute consultation with Steve Stedman. Understanding the SQL Server LOGMGR_RESERVE_APPEND Wait Type In SQL Server, the LOGMGR_RESERVE_APPEND wait type occurs when a thread is waiting to reserve space in the transaction log before writing a new log record. Since the transaction log plays a crucial role in ensuring data durability, crash …

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Deadlocks in SQL Server can cause serious performance issues, impacting transactions and slowing down applications. To help database administrators gain deeper insights into deadlocks and resolve them more effectively, Database Health Monitor includes six powerful reports focused on deadlock analysis. These reports provide a server-wide view, per-database breakdowns, historical trends, and object-level details, making it easier to diagnose and prevent deadlocks. 1. Instance Deadlock History Report View Report This report offers a historical overview of all deadlocks that have occurred …

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Monitoring long-running queries is an essential part of database performance monitoring, as it can help identify queries that are causing performance issues and take corrective action to optimize them. The Database Health Monitor for SQL Server provides insights into long-running queries, enabling you to identify performance bottlenecks and optimize query execution. Blocking Query Monitor: Identifying Performance Bottlenecks in Real-Time One of the primary ways Database Health Monitor tracks long-running queries is through its Blocking Query Monitor. When a query is …

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Understanding the PREEMPTIVE_OS_CRYPTIMPORTKEY Wait Type in SQL Server Need help with this wait type or others, Stedman Solutions can help. Find out how with a free no risk 30 minute consultation with Steve Stedman. SQL Server uses a wide variety of wait types to track what a query is waiting on before it can continue executing. One of these wait types, PREEMPTIVE_OS_CRYPTIMPORTKEY, can be challenging to understand and troubleshoot. This discussion will provide a deep dive into what this wait …

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Here is a short video on managing VLFs Best Practices Best Practices for Managing VLFs Preallocate Log File Size: Instead of allowing SQL Server to expand the log file in small increments, preallocate a sufficient log file size to minimize growth events. Use Larger Growth Increments: Set the log file growth increment to a reasonable value (e.g., 512 MB or more) to avoid creating too many VLFs during growth. Monitor Regularly: Use the VLF Report in Database Health Monitor as …

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