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Part of theDBA-Tools Project. Heaps in SQL Server Explained A surprising amount of SQL Server performance pain comes from tables that were never given a clustered index. These heaps often start life as quick prototypes, staging tables, or legacy leftovers — but as data grows, they quietly become one of the most consistent sources of…

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Part of the DBA-Tools Project. Understanding SQL Server Database File Layout SQL Server database files are one of those areas where small configuration issues can become large operational problems. A database may be running perfectly today, but poor file placement, incorrect growth settings, or uncontrolled file expansion can create problems later. Storage issues are one of the…

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Part of theDBA-Tools Project. Identify SQL Server Logins With Sysadmin Access The sysadmin fixed server role provides unrestricted access to a SQL Server instance. Members of this role can perform any operation on the server, including creating databases, changing security settings, accessing all data, and modifying server configuration. Because of this level of privilege, knowing…

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Part of theDBA-Tools Project. Get SQL Server Database Sizes and Free Space Database size checks are one of the first things I review when assessing a SQL Server environment. The goal is simple: understand where storage is being consumed, identify databases that need attention, and make sure there is enough capacity for normal growth. In…

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Part of the DBA-Tools Project. VLFs – The Hidden Log Performance Problem Virtual Log File (VLF) count is one of those SQL Server health checks that is often overlooked. It rarely generates alerts, doesn’t usually slow down a single query, and most users never know it exists. Yet an excessive number of VLFs can quietly…

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Related Pillar Post: Backups and Recovery When you’re validating migrations, failover, or automation at scale, you need realistic volume: hundreds or thousands of databases to stress-test backups, restores, log shipping, and copy operations. This helper automates that setup, it creates batches of small, randomized databases with configurable sizes and naming, so you can reproduce large-scale…

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