OK, so technically the fn_virtualfilestats is not exactly a system table. Please don’t email me or leave comments regarding this fact. So why am I including this in my March Madness series? Because it is so very, very important for any DBA (especially a new DBA) to know and understand that this function exists. Unlike … Read more
Ever wonder if there was a way to quickly and easily know which sp_configure options were dynamic, besides having to read the BOL? What? Am I the only one? OK, fine, but at least I knew of a way to get that done as well as to return the current running values without having to … Read more
Remember how I told you we would talk about the sysindexes system table? Well today is the day! Two quick notes: First, this system table is scoped at the database level (not the instance level). Second, this system table will be removed from a future version of SQL Server. What is this table for? This … Read more
Today we will be talking about the sysobjects system table. This system table is scoped at the database level (not the instance level), so take note of that when you are building scripts. You always need to be mindful about the scope of the system tables otherwise it will lead to some unexpected results. As … Read more
Welcome back to SQL University! I hope you enjoyed your Spring Break last week. Today’s topic is all about storage, so let’s get started. tempdb The first thing you need to understand is that SQL Server reads all data into memory in order to perform operations. Often you will hear people say how they could … Read more
Did you ever wish that you could access the information contained inside of Perfmon counters by using some simple T-SQL statements and not resorting to using WMI code or xp_cmdshell? Well today is your lucky day! Well, mostly your lucky day. Read on to find out why sysperfinfo may be the greatest thing ever for … Read more
