After struggling a lot and working with vendor, identified list of exclusions for SQL Server related to Anti Virus Software (McAfee, Symantec, etc.), the details can be found in this link, last one is important as it impacts performance.   https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/309422/how-to-choose-antivirus-software-to-run-on-computers-that-are-running-sql-server   Directories and file-name extensions to exclude from virus scanning When you configure your antivirus software settings, make sure that you exclude the following files or directories (as applicable) from virus scanning. Doing this […]

This Article covers the list of Free database and PowerShell tools I come across time to time, this list will keep growing as I discover them, leave comments if you like any one tool better than other.   SQL Server   Database Health – dashboard overview for quick database health checks (http://databasehealth.com) Idera Free tools for SQL server: https://www.idera.com/productssolutions/freetools, below are some of best which I like, they are not totally free but works for […]

TDE (Transparent Data Encryption) is an inbuilt encryption feature of SQL Server Enterprise Edition introduced by Microsoft from SQL server 2008 onwards, this comes in handy when someone has to secure the PII (Personal Identifiable Information) from prying eyes, as it is Enterprise Edition feature only hence comes with a premium price. So while I got a request to analyze implementation of it on more than 200+ SQL standard edition then first thing which has […]

Database backup compression is a feature provided by Microsoft which reduces the native backup size by up to 66% depending upon the type of data stored in a database and similar other factors. By default backup compression is disabled as it has some limitations which needs to be looked as per environment setup and if suites one’s need then it can be enabled as default or a parameter can be added to backup script to […]

This question was haunting me from long that how to become an MVP, the simplest solution is CONTRIBUTE and SHARE!   The Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) Award is an annual award given to outstanding members of Microsoft’s technical communities based on contributions made during the previous 12 months to offline and online Microsoft-related technical communities.   More you can found on MVP FAQ’s available at http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/gp/mvpfaqs   If you think you or your friend […]

Text Reference: http://dba.stackexchange.com/questions/19870/how-to-identify-which-query-is-filling-up-the-tempdb-transaction-log Some tips for minimizing tempdb utilization 1. Use fewer #temp tables and @table variables 2. Minimize concurrent index maintenance, and avoid the SORT_IN_TEMPDB option if it isn’t needed 3. Avoid unnecessary cursors; avoid static cursors if you think this may be a bottleneck, since static cursors use work tables in tempdb – though this is the type of cursor I always recommend if tempdb isn’t a bottleneck 4. Try to avoid spools […]

In order to optimize tempdb performance pay attention to physical disk configuration, file configuration, as well as some settings within the database. Physical disk configuration tempdb should reside on its own dedicated physical disks. This allows it to split I/O transactions from the remainder of volumes on the SQL Server. To move tempdb to a new disk drive, use ALTER DATABASE. It is the key T-SQL command to perform this operation. Microsoft offers a good […]

General Replication concept and guide to set Up Snapshot Replication http://www.databasejournal.com/features/mssql/article.php/1458491/Setting-Up-Snapshot-Replication-A-Step-by-step-Guide.htm This article talks about general concept of replication, various topologies and also a guide to setup snapshot replication

Part 1: Team composition and upgrade option pros and cons – http://searchsqlserver.techtarget.com/tip/Upgrade-Active-Active-cluster-to-SQL-Server-2005-and-Windows-2003 Part 2: Restoring a SQL Server database to a transition server – http://searchsqlserver.techtarget.com/tip/How-to-restore-SQL-Server-database-to-transition-server-during-an-upgrade Part 3: SQL Server high availability when upgrading to SQL Server 2005 – http://searchsqlserver.techtarget.com/tip/SQL-Server-high-availability-when-upgrading-to-SQL-Server-2005 Part 4: Upgrade live applications to SQL Server 2005 for high availability – http://searchsqlserver.techtarget.com/tip/Upgrade-live-applications-to-SQL-Server-2005-for-high-availability Part 5: Monitor database mirroring and replication after upgrade – http://searchsqlserver.techtarget.com/tip/Monitor-database-mirroring-and-replication-after-a-SQL-Server-upgrade