Category: DBA Operations

  • How to Check Listening Ports on Windows

    When troubleshooting connectivity issues, it’s often not enough to test whether a remote port is reachable. You also need to know what is actually listening on a port locally, or whether anything is listening at all. This post focuses on the local side of the equation, what is listening on the machine itself and which…

  • Get Last Database Restore Date and Time in SQL Server

    Knowing when a database was last restored is useful during incident response, audits, and general environment validation. This is not about backup schedules or restore progress.It is a simple historical check that answers one question: When was this database last restored? This post shows a reliable way to retrieve the most recent restore date and…

  • Deleting Rows in Batches in SQL Server

    Deleting large volumes of data from a SQL Server table looks simple, but it can cause real problems if done carelessly. A single large DELETE can: When you’re cleaning up historical data or running routine maintenance, deleting rows in batches is usually the safest and most predictable approach. This post shows a simple, production-safe pattern…

  • Get Database Sizes and Free Space in SQL Server

    Keeping track of database file sizes and available free space is a basic but essential part of SQL Server administration. If you don’t know how large your data and log files are, or how much free space they contain, capacity planning becomes guesswork. Problems tend to surface late, usually during growth events, backups, or unexpected…

  • Show Database Growth Events in SQL Server

    Database file growth events are easy to ignore until they become a problem. When a data or log file autogrows, SQL Server must extend the physical file on disk before continuing. During this operation, activity against that file can stall. If this happens frequently, it can introduce latency, increase I/O pressure, and in some cases…

  • How to Check Transaction Log Space Usage in SQL Server

    Monitoring transaction log space usage is a fundamental DBA task. If a log file runs out of space, transactions can fail, applications can stop, and in the worst cases databases can be taken offline. This post shows two practical ways to check log space usage in SQL Server, starting with a built-in command and then…

  • Get Database File Names and Paths in SQL Server

    As a DBA, you regularly need to know where your database files live, how big they are, and how they’re configured to grow. Whether you’re planning disk capacity, reviewing growth settings, troubleshooting space issues, or preparing for a migration, being able to quickly pull data and log file details across an instance is essential. This…

  • How to Increase Maximum Characters Displayed in SSMS

    By default, SQL Server Management Studio limits the number of characters displayed per column when using Results to Text. The default limit is 256 characters. If a query or system stored procedure returns more than that, the output is silently truncated. You get partial results, which is often worse than getting an error. This post…

  • Applying Data Retention Safely in SQL Server

    Data retention in SQL Server usually means deleting old data in a controlled and repeatable way. That might be driven by compliance requirements, table growth that’s starting to hurt performance, SQL Server Express size limits, or simply keeping log and audit tables under control. Whether this is a one-off cleanup or a permanent maintenance task,…

  • Checking Table Sizes in SQL Server

    Checking table sizes in SQL Server is a routine DBA task that supports capacity planning, performance troubleshooting, and data retention work. There are several ways to get this information. Some methods are better suited to automation and reporting, while others are quicker for ad hoc checks in SQL Server Management Studio. This post walks through…

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