Author: Steve Stedman

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How to Calculate the True Cost of Unplanned Downtime: Every Business is Different Unplanned downtime can wreak havoc on any organization, but the true cost is often far greater than what meets the eye. Whether it’s caused by hardware failure, data Corruption, or system crashes, the financial impact varies widely from business to business. However, understanding how to calculate downtime costs is crucial for making informed decisions about investments in infrastructure, monitoring, and Disaster Recovery. While no two businesses will …

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Why SQL Still Shines: Advantages of SQL Over NoSQL In the database world, there’s often a debate about whether to use SQL or NoSQL technologies. Both have their place, but it’s important to understand where SQL outshines NoSQL and why it remains the go-to choice for many applications. With years of working with SQL Server, I’ve seen how SQL databases evolve to meet modern demands, while still maintaining advantages that NoSQL struggles to match. Let’s dive into the key advantages …

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What Are SQL Agent Jobs? If you’ve been managing a SQL Server environment for any amount of time, chances are you’ve come across SQL Server Agent Jobs. But what exactly are they, and why are they so critical to efficient database management? In this blog post, I’ll break down what SQL Agent Jobs are, how they work, and why they’re a key tool in any DBA’s toolkit. Understanding SQL Server Agent Jobs At its core, an SQL Agent Job is …

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By Posted on Posted in SQL Server Error

Understanding and Resolving SQL Server Error 18456 If you’ve been working with SQL Server for a while, chances are you’ve encountered the dreaded “Login failed for user” error, known as Error 18456. This error is one of the most common authentication issues in SQL Server, and it can be frustrating because it doesn’t always give a clear explanation of the root cause. In this blog post, I’ll dive into what SQL Server Error 18456 is, why it occurs, and how …

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Understanding SQL Server Error Severity Levels 19 through 25 SQL Server uses error severity levels to indicate the nature and seriousness of an error. These severity levels range from 0 to 25, with each level indicating a different type of issue, from informational messages to catastrophic failures. In this post, we’ll focus on severity levels 19 through 25, which are typically the most critical errors that can occur in SQL Server. Severity Level 19: Critical Error in the Current Process …

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By Posted on Posted in SQL Joins Cheat Sheet

What is an Inner Select in SQL? An inner select (also known as a subquery or nested select) is a query within another SQL query. It allows you to build complex queries by embedding one SELECT statement inside another. These inner selects can be highly useful for solving problems that require multiple steps or Aggregations and enable you to retrieve data dynamically based on the results of the inner query. In this blog post, we’ll break down what an inner …

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By Posted on Posted in SQL Server Classes

In the wise words of Benjamin Franklin, “If You Fail to Plan, You Are Planning to Fail.” This timeless adage holds particular relevance when it comes to safeguarding your SQL Server databases. A failure to adequately prepare for data loss scenarios—be it due to hardware malfunctions, data corruption, or increasingly prevalent ransomware attacks—can have devastating consequences for your business. The Common Problem: Lack of Preparedness Despite the rising risks, it’s shocking how often we encounter businesses that are inadequately prepared …

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What is Wait Statistics Monitoring in SQL Server? For more informationon Database Health Monitor you can visit StedmanSolutions.com. You can download the free trial of Database Health Monitor at http://DatabaseHealth.com/download2. Wait statistics monitoring in SQL Server is the process of tracking how long SQL Server tasks are waiting to access system resources (like CPU, disk I/O, or memory) before they can execute. SQL Server tasks don’t always run immediately; sometimes they’re forced to wait due to various bottlenecks or resource …

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By Posted on Posted in SQL Server Classes

In the digital era, a robust disaster recovery plan focusing on data backup and restore is more crucial than ever. A simple error, hardware failure, or a crippling cyber-attack could spell disaster for your invaluable SQL Server data. Businesses that rely heavily on data face the most substantial risks. Stedman’s SQL Server Backup and Recovery Course is here to offer a comprehensive solution to these challenges. Read on to learn how this course provides a bulletproof strategy for safeguarding your …

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Understanding Common SQL Server Wait Types: SOS_SCHEDULER_YIELD, WRITELOG, CXPACKET, CXCONSUMER, and LCK_M* In the world of SQL Server Performance tuning, understanding wait types is essential for diagnosing and resolving performance issues. Wait types indicate the specific resources SQL Server is waiting on during query execution, and identifying the predominant wait types can help in pinpointing performance bottlenecks. In this blog post, we’ll delve into some of the most common wait types: SOS_SCHEDULER_YIELD, WRITELOG, CXPACKET, CXCONSUMER, and LCK_M*. SOS_SCHEDULER_YIELD The SOS_SCHEDULER_YIELD …

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