SQL DBA Blog: Home

  • CREATE FILE Encountered Operating System Error (Error 5123)

    SQL Server error 5123, CREATE FILE encountered operating system error. Why the service account is refused and how to fix the folder permissions.

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  • DBA Scripts: Generate Test Databases

    🔧Part of the DBA-Tools Project, copy/paste SQL Server scripts and health checks.In: Backups & 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…

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  • Installing Windows Terminal on Windows

    Windows Terminal is the modern command-line application for Windows and supports PowerShell, Command Prompt, and WSL in a single interface. On recent versions of Windows (Windows 11 and newer), Windows Terminal is installed by default. If it’s already available on your system, no installation is required. If it isn’t installed, or you’re working on older…

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  • How to Enable Change Data Capture (CDC) in SQL Server

    Change Data Capture (CDC) allows SQL Server to track inserts, updates, and deletes on selected tables by reading the transaction log and storing changes in system tables. From a DBA point of view, CDC is easy to enable but easy to underestimate. It adds background jobs, ongoing storage growth, and operational overhead that needs to…

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  • Database in Recovery Pending: Cannot Be Opened (SQL Server Error 945)

    SQL Server error 945, database cannot be opened due to inaccessible files. How to find which file stopped it and bring the database back online.

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  • Use Git in SSMS to Version Control Your DBA Scripts

    🛠️Part of the SSMS Complete Guide, installing, configuring and fixing SQL Server Management Studio.Related pillar: Migration & Deployment Every DBA has a scripts folder. Most of them live dangerously: a directory on a jump host, copies of copies, a blocking_check_v2_FINAL.sql that is not the final version. Since SSMS 21 the fix has been built into…

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  • GitHub Copilot in SSMS: Setup, and What a DBA Should Let It Do

    🛠️Part of the SSMS Complete Guide, installing, configuring and fixing SQL Server Management Studio.Related pillar: Server & Configuration GitHub Copilot became generally available in SSMS at 22.4.1, and most of what is written about it is either a sales page or a dismissal. Neither helps you decide what to actually do with an AI assistant…

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  • Dark Mode and Themes in SSMS

    🛠️Part of the SSMS Complete Guide, installing, configuring and fixing SQL Server Management Studio.Related pillar: Server & Configuration Dark mode is what DBAs were hoping for in SQL Server Management Studio for a long time. Now we have it, and more: SSMS ships with a set of built-in themes, dark included, and switching between them…

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  • CREATE DATABASE Permission Denied (Error 262)

    SQL Server error 262, CREATE DATABASE permission denied. Which permission is actually missing, who can grant it, and the least-privilege fix.

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  • SSMS Query Shortcuts: Run sp_whoisactive on a Hotkey

    🛠️Part of the SSMS Complete Guide, installing, configuring and fixing SQL Server Management Studio.Related pillar: Server & Configuration Press Ctrl+1 in a query window and SSMS runs sp_who. Press Ctrl+2 and you get sp_lock. Most people know those two exist and stop there, which means missing the actual feature: the mechanism behind them is configurable,…

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Major pillars
DBA ScriptsEvery script, one page each SSMS Complete GuideInstall, shortcuts, git, Copilot, dark mode Error LibraryLook up an exact message, cause and fix Wait Types LibraryWhat the server was waiting on Site MapHow the pillars, areas and scripts connect
Quick scripts
Get-ActiveSessions Get-UserPermissionsAudit Get-DiskSpace Get-DatabaseFreeSpaceSummary Get-IndexFragmentation Get-AvailabilityGroupLatency Get-BackupCoverage Get-BackupRestoreProgress
Patch week
SQL Server BuildsLatest CU per version, with support dates Patch LevelWhat your server is running
Health check & AI
Full Health CheckCollect 45 diagnostics, apply rules, then an AI assessment sqldba MCP ServerGive an AI assistant a verified SQL Server reference
Script areas
Server & Configuration Storage & Capacity Backup & Recovery High Availability Performance & Troubleshooting Security Maintenance & Automation Migration & Deployment
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