Year: 2024

This is just one of the many checks that our Daily Checkup and Quickscan Report from Stedman Solutions will report on. Security Risks of SQL Server Agent Jobs at Startup Having SQL Server Agent jobs run at startup poses several security and operational risks. It’s important to understand the context and the specific requirements of certain components, like replication, which might necessitate startup jobs. Security Risks: Elevated Permissions: Jobs running at startup might require higher permissions than regular operations, potentially …

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Understanding the Importance of TDE Certificate Backups in SQL Server This is just one of the many checks that our Daily Checkup and Quickscan Report from Stedman Solutions will report on. In SQL Server, Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) is a valuable feature that provides encryption at the file level. It’s an essential tool for ensuring that your data is secure and inaccessible to unauthorized users, especially if the physical media is compromised. However, the power of TDE comes with a …

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Understanding the Causes of SQL Server Performance Issues As a seasoned SQL Server expert and the owner of Stedman Solutions, LLC, I’ve encountered a myriad of reasons why a SQL Server database might be running slower than expected. In my experience, identifying and addressing the root cause of performance issues is crucial for maintaining an efficient and reliable database system. Here, I’ll share some common reasons for SQL Server sluggishness, drawing from my extensive background and the insights gained from …

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Top 10 SQL Server Wait Types for Performance Tuning Understanding these wait types is key to identifying performance bottlenecks in SQL Server: CXPACKET: Indicates parallelism-related waits. High values suggest inefficiencies in query parallelization. LCK_M_XX: Lock waits (e.g., LCK_M_S, LCK_M_U) signal queries waiting for resource locks, pointing to potential blocking or deadlocking. PAGEIOLATCH_XX: Wait times due to disk I/O operations, indicating possible disk subsystem bottlenecks. SQLCLR: Associated with Common Language Runtime operations. High waits might indicate issues with CLR stored procedures …

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This is just one of the many checks that our Daily Checkup and Quickscan Report from Stedman Solutions will report on. Understanding and Mitigating Slow SQL Server Error Log Access Are you experiencing sluggishness when accessing your SQL Server error log? As a database professional and the owner of Stedman Solutions, LLC, I’ve encountered this issue multiple times and understand how frustrating it can be. Let’s delve into the common reasons for this slow access and explore practical solutions to …

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Need help with this, Stedman Solutions can help. Find out how with a free no risk 30 minute consultation with Steve Stedman. First 5 Things to Check When Your SQL Server is Performing Slowly When your SQL Server begins to lag or perform poorly, it can be a significant hindrance to your business operations. Over my years of experience since 1990 with SQL Server, I’ve come across several common culprits that tend to affect performance. Here are the first 5 …

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This is just one of the many checks that our Daily Checkup and Quickscan Report from Stedman Solutions will report on. Understanding the Risks: User Tables in the Master Database and Disaster Recovery When it comes to managing SQL Server, the master database stands out as one of the most critical system databases. It holds essential system-level data, including server-wide configurations and the existence of other databases. Given its importance, it’s understandable why any conversation about disaster recovery will inevitably …

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