Author: Steve Stedman

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If you’ve ever encountered the “SQL Server Recovering” message for a database, you may have wondered what it means and whether it signals a problem. This message is part of SQL Server’s built-in safety mechanisms to ensure data integrity. While it’s not always a cause for alarm, understanding why it happens and how to handle it can save you significant time and effort. In this blog, we’ll delve into what “SQL Server Recovering” means, why it occurs, and the best …

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Understanding and Resolving SQL Server Error 18456: Login Failed for User SQL Server Error 18456 is a common login error that can cause headaches for database administrators and developers alike. The error message typically appears as: “Login failed for user ‘<user_name>’. Reason: <reason>. Error: 18456.” This error occurs when a user attempts to connect to SQL Server and the authentication process fails. In this post, we’ll explore the common causes of this error, how to troubleshoot it, and best practices …

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How and When to Shrink SQL Server Log Files: Best Practices Explained Managing SQL Server log files is a common challenge for database administrators and developers. While shrinking transaction log files might seem like a quick fix for reclaiming disk space, there are key factors to consider before hitting that shrink button. What’s Covered in This Article: The Purpose of SQL Server Log Files Transaction log files are essential for maintaining data integrity and supporting recovery operations. They track every …

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Celebrate Small Business Saturday with 50% Off Our SQL Server Replication Course! Small Business Saturday is here, and to celebrate, we’re offering 50% off our SQL Server Replication course—but only for one day! Whether you’re managing databases in a small business or a larger enterprise, SQL Server replication is a crucial skill that can help ensure data availability, improve performance, and enhance disaster recovery. What Is SQL Server Replication? SQL Server Replication is a powerful method for distributing data across …

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= 2 THEN a.used_pages ELSE 0 END) * 8 AS IndexSpaceKBFROM sys.tables tINNER JOIN sys.partitions p ON t.object_id = p.object_idINNER JOIN sys.allocation_units a ON p.partition_id = a.container_idGROUP BY t.nameORDER BY TotalSpaceKB DESC; What the Query Does This query calculates: TotalSpaceKB: The total space allocated for each table, including data, indexes, and unused space. UsedSpaceKB: The space actively used by data and indexes. UnusedSpaceKB: The difference between the allocated space and the used space, representing room for growth. DataSpaceKB: The size …

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The Importance of a SQL Server Performance Assessment by Stedman Solutions Maintaining your SQL Server’s performance is essential in today’s fast-paced, data-driven world. At Stedman Solutions, we understand how critical your SQL Server is to your business’s success. That’s why we offer comprehensive performance assessments tailored to your environment. It all begins with a free 30-minute consultation to explore how we can address your unique SQL Server challenges and goals. Keeping Your SQL Server in Prime Condition A properly maintained …

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Understanding SQL Server Trace Flag 1118: Enhancing TempDB Performance When it comes to SQL Server Performance tuning, understanding and using trace flags can provide significant benefits. One particularly valuable trace flag is 1118, which can address contention issues in the TempDB database and improve performance in environments with heavy TempDB usage. Let’s dive into what Trace Flag 1118 does, when to use it, and how it can make a difference. What Does Trace Flag 1118 Do? Trace flag 1118 is …

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SQL Server Data Aggregation: Unlocking the Power of Your Data When working with SQL Server, effective aggregation is a cornerstone of building meaningful reports, summaries, and insights. Whether you’re calculating totals, averages, or breaking down complex datasets into digestible pieces, understanding SQL Server’s aggregation tools is critical. In this blog post, we’ll explore the basics of SQL Server data aggregation and how it can streamline your data analysis processes. What Is Data Aggregation? Data aggregation involves gathering, summarizing, or transforming …

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Understanding Instant File Initialization in Microsoft SQL Server When managing SQL Server, Performance Tuning often requires attention to how SQL Server handles storage and file operations. One feature that can significantly improve the speed of certain operations is Instant File Initialization (IFI). This blog post will explain what IFI is, how it works, its benefits, and considerations for enabling it in your SQL Server environment. What is Instant File Initialization? Instant File Initialization (IFI) is a feature in Microsoft SQL …

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What Does “Parallel Redo is Started for Database” Mean? If you’ve come across the phrase “parallel redo is started for database” in your SQL Server error logs or monitoring tools, you might wonder what it signifies. This phrase is tied to SQL Server’s advanced recovery process and is an important indicator of how modern SQL Server versions handle transaction log recovery in high-performance environments. This blog post dives deep into what this message means, when it occurs, and how it …

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