When SQL Server Performance Goes Bad: Rogue Indexes

Phil Factor explains how Redgate Monitor helps focus performance tuning efforts on the tables and queries where 'rogue indexes' might be a significant problem, and then how to identify both 'missing' indexes that might be beneficial to the overall workload, and those that are unused or duplicated, and so are doing more harm than good. Read more

When SQL Server Performance Goes Bad: Implicit Conversions

In this article, you'll learn how to detect and remove a common cause of SQL Server query performance problems: reliance on implicit datatype conversions. We'll use a combination of plan cache queries, extended events, and Redgate Monitor. Read more

Introduction to Analyzing Waits using Redgate Monitor

Phil Factor sets out with the modest aim of giving you enough of an introduction to waits to better understand the wait information you get from a SQL Server monitoring tool like Redgate Monitor, and the rather overwhelming amount of information available in the underlying DMVs and Extended Events. Read more

Using Filters to Fine-tune Redgate Database Deployments

Filters are used by Redgate's SQL Compare, SQL Source Control, DLM Dashboard, and SQL Change Automation. A typical use for a filter is to work on just one schema within a database or just a limited set of tables and routines. You would also want to use a filter to exclude certain object, such as database users, from comparisons. Phil Factor explains how they work, and how to create, edit and then use them within the various Redgate tools. Read more

Gathering SQL Server Performance Counters for Multiple Servers

SQL Multi Script can easily be persuaded to run queries at the server level rather than the database level. It is also able to combine results from many databases even if the results aren't identical but have some different columns. Phil Factor demonstrates how this works, when collecting a set of performance counters from all databases on a distribution list of servers. Read more

Unboxing SQL Toolbelt Essentials: What is SQL Multi Script for?

SQL Multi Script does one thing and does it well: it will run whatever script or scripts you select, on a list of databases, and collate all the results neatly. However, it has a surprising number of uses. Phil Factor explains how it works and then uses it to search 100 databases, for occurrences of a string, in about 7 seconds. Read more

Tracking use of Deprecated SQL Server Features

Phil Factor explains how to use Dynamic Management Views and Extended Events to track use of deprecated SQL Server syntax on working SQL Server databases, as well as SQL Prompt and SQL Change Automation to detect its use during database development. Read more

Exploring the SQL Compare Options

You need to compare database schema objects in two SQL Server databases, and then automatically generate a SQL deployment script that when executed will remove these differences, either making the schema of the target database match the source, or vice-versa. It sounds easy, but the problems lie in the details of the schema comparison options. Read more

Using SQL Data Compare to Sync Reference Data

Let's say your QA team maintain two similar test databases. They run tests to verify that different versions of the same application still produce the same, correct results. Therefore, any differences in the test data, between the two databases, needs to be corrected before the tests start. This is the sort of task for which SQL Data Compare is ideally suited, and Bob Sheldon explains how it all works. Read more

SQL Prompt Snippets to Drop Columns and Tables and Handle Associated Dependencies

Louis Davidson provides a pair of SQL Prompt snippets that will help you deal with dependencies, whenever you need to drop columns or tables. Read more