Author: Steve Stedman

Need help with this, Stedman Solutions can help. Find out how with a free no risk 30 minute consultation with Steve Stedman. 3 Essential Checks for Diagnosing a Slow SQL Server Are you struggling with a slow SQL Server? Before you deep dive into the complex world of performance tuning, there are three primary areas you should inspect first. These initial checks often reveal the most common culprits behind performance degradation. Here’s a straightforward guide to help you identify and …

3 Essential Checks for Diagnosing a Slow SQL Server Read more →

This is just one of the many checks that our Daily Checkup and Quickscan Report from Stedman Solutions will report on. Understanding the Importance of Auto Create Statistics in SQL Server Auto create statistics is a critical setting in SQL Server that greatly influences the efficiency and performance of your queries. This feature, when enabled, empowers SQL Server to automatically generate statistics on columns used in predicates, such as in a WHERE clause. These statistics are vital for the Query …

Understanding the Importance of Auto Create Statistics Read more →

Common Uses of TempDB in SQL Server TempDB in SQL Server is a globally available temporary storage area used by the SQL Server Database Engine for various purposes. Here’s a list of the most common uses of TempDB: User Objects: Includes user-defined temporary tables and temporary stored procedures. Used to temporarily hold data for processing within a session. Internal Objects: Created by SQL Server for its internal operations, including: Work Tables: For cursor or spool operations and storing intermediate results. …

What uses TempDB? Read more →

You can download the free trial of Database Health Monitor at http://DatabaseHealth.com/download2. Navigating SQL Server Performance: The Pitfalls of Percent Autogrowth In the world of SQL Server, performance tuning is an art as much as it is a science. A crucial aspect often overlooked is the configuration of database file growth, specifically the Percent Autogrowth setting. When not managed properly, this setting can lead to not just fragmented files but also extensive locking issues as your database files grow. Let’s …

The Pitfalls of Percent Autogrowth Read more →

You can download the free trial of Database Health Monitor at http://DatabaseHealth.com/download2. The Risks of Storing User Tables in MSDB: Insights from Database Health Monitor When managing SQL Server environments, it’s crucial to understand best practices and potential pitfalls. One such pitfall is the storage of user tables in the MSDB database. While it might seem convenient or harmless, this practice can lead to several issues. In this post, we’ll explore why putting user tables in MSDB is a bad …

The Risks of Storing User Tables in MSDB Read more →

Ready to optimize your SQL Server’s performance? Contact Stedman Solutions, LLC today for a comprehensive health assessment. Let us help you turn your data into your most powerful business asset. How a SQL Assessment with Remediation Can Enhance Your SQL Server’s Health and Reliability When it comes to maintaining a robust, efficient, and secure SQL Server environment, regular assessments coupled with thorough remediation strategies are not just beneficial; they are essential. At Stedman Solutions, LLC, we’ve seen firsthand how a …

Enhancing SQL Server Health and Reliability Read more →

Tidying Up Your SQL Server: Removing Leftover DTA Tables SQL Server administrators and developers often use the Microsoft Database Tuning Advisor (DTA) to analyze and enhance database performance. While DTA is an effective tool, it tends to leave behind monitoring tables in the msdb database after its use. Identifying and Removing Leftover DTA Tables The Database Health Monitor tool offers a Quick Scan Report feature to help identify these leftover DTA tables. If you’re not actively using the Database Tuning …

Leftover DTA Tables Read more →

Enhancing SQL Server Performance with Cost Threshold for Parallelism In the world of SQL Server performance tuning, a critical factor is the efficient utilization of parallelism. This is where the “Cost Threshold for Parallelism” (CTFP) setting in SQL Server comes into play. CTFP is an essential configuration parameter that influences how SQL Server executes query plans in parallel, offering a balance between the benefits of parallelism and its potential overhead. Understanding Cost Threshold for Parallelism CTFP determines the minimum cost …

Cost Threshold for Parallelism Read more →