SQL Server Database Assessments

Bring your data to Red9 and ensure that your SQL Server infrastructure on-premise or on cloud is deployed in a way that is optimal for your needs. Our Database Assessments is a customized service focused on delivering bright pieces of evidence about the status of your database system performance and maintenance strategy. This is a […]

How to configure Ola Hallengren SQL Server maintenance solution

If you are a DBA, you understand the importance of having a robust Database Maintenance Solution. Ola Hallengren has developed an excellent maintenance implementation using T-SQL scripts. It’s a free solution replacing the traditional GUI maintenance plan (for a variety of databases, applications, and sizes). The SQL Server community recommends this solution for running backups, […]

Best practices after SQL Server installation

SQL Server installation does not repeat often, especially if you are using on premises servers. You just set it up, change configuration to optimal, and let it run. It may be a different use case if SQL Server instance is running on the cloud and is being recreated every time (if, for any reasons, cloud […]

Why you should be using stored procedures with recompile option

Stored Procedures (SPs) with RECOMPILE option What is the RECOMPILE option? The compilation is the process when a query execution plan of a stored procedure is optimized based on the current database objects state. This query execution plan is often stored in the cache to be quickly accessed. By the way, this check is a […]

Disable unnecessary SQL Server instances and services

Why should you care about services that are not needed? You may be wasting your precious resources on unused services. It would be best if you prioritize your more critical SQL Instance to use more resources and do not allow less important ones to take all of them. How can I list all the SQL […]

Removing offline databases and orphaned data files from your SQL Server

What are orphaned data files? Orphaned database files are files not associated with any attached database (live database). Sometimes when you drop a database from a SQL Server instance, the underlying files are not removed. If you manage a lot of development and test environments, this can certainly occur. Usually, when you take a database […]

Review your Windows Task Scheduler: It can impact your SQL Server performance

Windows task scheduler What is the windows task scheduler? It is a Windows component that can schedule programs and programs to run at pre-defined times or after specified time intervals. Why should you care about it? Sometimes, there some non-SQL related tasks scheduled that can start during SQL peak times without you knowing and impact […]

Disabling Windows automatic updates

Windows OS Update Settings Why should you care about them? Windows updates are set to a non-optimal setting. Updates can start downloading at an unpredictable time and cause hard to trace performance issues. By the way, this check is a part of our SQL Server Health Check. How can I check it? Go to Start, […]

Finding user tables in SQL Server system databases

User tables in sys DBs Why should you care about them? User data tables should not be in the system databases (master, msdb). In case of failure, there is a high chance that those tables would be lost. In the case of migration, these tables may be forgotten and not restored. It shows that some […]

Is your SQL Server generating dump files?

What are the SQL Server memory dump files? They are memory dumps files generated when SQL hits a bug, or something “unexpected” happens. This same as Windows OS bluescreening. The size and contents of which are dependent on the problem that occurred. By the way, this check is a part of our SQL Server Health […]