John Sansom – SQL Server DBA in the UK Rotating Header Image

Posts under ‘Tools’

Superb listing of free SQL Server tools

Paul Randal pointed me in the direction of an awesome resource list of FREE SQL Server tools. There is an absolute mountain of quality stuff here and I wanted to share it with you all. Free SQL Server Tools that might make your life easier Be sure to me know which resources you use and [...]

Automate SQL Server Index Defragmentation,Optimisation

This week I came across what could quite possibly be, the best SQL Server index defrag script I have seen. This little beauty is fully customisable and is freely available courtesy of Michelle Ufford (aka SQL Fool) on her blog SQLFool.com As you know, it is just not practical to use a SQL Server Maintenance [...]

Performance Comparison of (SELECT TOP 1) Verses MAX()

I recently came across a post on Stackoverflow regarding the performance of using a SELECT TOP 1 query in comparison to using the MAX() function. My initial thoughts on this were that the MAX() function would provide the best performance however, in order to be absolutely certain and prove my initial hypothesis I decided to [...]

Being Organised

An essential skill trait for a good DBA in my view is being organised. With the responsibility of administering and managing vast numbers of servers/jobs/processes simultaneously across the globe, it goes without saying that being organised can come in handy. What with so much going on at any given time, it can be tricky to [...]