boB 'The Tool Man' Taylor https://docs.microsoft.com/archive/blogs/bobtaylor/feed.xml The place to go for SQL Server tools, tricks, and tips Tue, 16 Apr 2019 04:48:10 GMT en-US hourly 1 An interesting customer question explained https://docs.microsoft.com/archive/blogs/bobtaylor/an-interesting-customer-question-explained Tue, 02 Oct 2018 23:36:38 GMT https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/bobtaylor/?p=1115 SELECT FORMAT(N, 'd10') as padWithZeroes FROM FormatTest;

and

SELECT RIGHT('0000000000'+RTRIM(CAST (N as varchar(5))),10) from FormatTest;

I had a hunch but wanted empirical evidence... so fire up ssms and our trusty query store and create a repro. [snippet slug=format-vs-stuff lang=sql] So now to examine the Query Store runtime execution statistics [snippet slug=query-store-query lang=sql] And as I suspected FORMAT is utilizing the SQL CLR services as we see almost all the time being spent in CLR. Question answered.  ]]> Next on the Menu - A new tool! xel2sql https://docs.microsoft.com/archive/blogs/bobtaylor/next-on-the-menu-a-new-tool-xel2sql Mon, 20 Aug 2018 08:00:01 GMT https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/bobtaylor/?p=1085 SQL Snacks™ along with a tool I am releasing to the community will allow you to run a Transact-SQL workload on Azure SQL Database, capture the xel files to Azure Blob Storage, and then process them to produce an executable Transact-SQL Script that duplicates the captured workload. The source code (quite simple) is available on my GitHub repo  https://github.com/bobtaylor29708/xel2sql [video width="1620" height="1080" mp4="https://msdnshared.blob.core.windows.net/media/2018/08/xel2sql.mp4" autoplay="true"][/video]  ]]> Next on the Menu - Why is that recompiling? https://docs.microsoft.com/archive/blogs/bobtaylor/next-on-the-menu-why-is-that-recompiling Mon, 13 Aug 2018 20:04:22 GMT https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/bobtaylor/?p=1065 In this short SQL Snacks™  we will look at a question that arose while I was at a customer site. While running load tests we were seeing abnormally high numbers of recompiles vs. compiles. Knowing that this could lead to higher CPU consumption we investigated. Thanks to Forrest McDaniel @TSQLAddict for the basis of this SQL Snack™ Check out his blog at Forrest Shares [video width="1620" height="1080" mp4="https://msdnshared.blob.core.windows.net/media/2018/08/Recompiles.mp4"][/video]]]> Next on the Menu - XE Profiler https://docs.microsoft.com/archive/blogs/bobtaylor/next-on-the-menu-xe-profiler Mon, 06 Aug 2018 18:00:16 GMT https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/bobtaylor/?p=985 SQL Snacks™  we will examine a feature introduced in SQL Server Management Studio V17.3 - namely the XE Profiler which will make our lives considerably easier when configuring XEvent capture for a test run. [video width="1620" height="1080" mp4="https://msdnshared.blob.core.windows.net/media/2018/07/XE-Profiler.mp4" autoplay="true"][/video]]]> Next on the Menu - counter, histogram, and pair matching targets https://docs.microsoft.com/archive/blogs/bobtaylor/next-on-the-menu-counter-histogram-and-pair-matching-targets Mon, 30 Jul 2018 08:00:43 GMT https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/bobtaylor/?p=955 SQL Snack™ I will examine the three remaining targets (I don't plan on covering the ETW sync target as it is out of scope for this series). The counter, histogram and pair matching targets are very simple and straight forward to use and consume. In the next SQL Snack™ I will examine a new tool found in SQL Server Management Studio since version 17.3, namely the XE Profiler [video width="1620" height="1080" mp4="https://msdnshared.blob.core.windows.net/media/2018/06/counter-histogram-and-pair-matching-targets.mp4" autoplay="true"][/video]]]> Next on the Menu – event file target for Azure SQL Database https://docs.microsoft.com/archive/blogs/bobtaylor/next-on-the-menu-event-file-target-for-azure-sql-database Mon, 23 Jul 2018 08:00:46 GMT https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/bobtaylor/?p=925 SQL Snacks™ we will examine the techniques required to implement the file target for an Azure SQL Database. We will also examine the differences in the Extended Event system between on premises and Azure SQL Database. The link with the instructions for creating Azure Blob Storage can be found here. As I mentioned in the SQL Snacks™ if there is enough interest I would record a SQL Snacks™ demonstrating the process by using the Azure Portal and by using PowerShell. [video width="1620" height="1080" mp4="https://msdnshared.blob.core.windows.net/media/2018/06/ASD-File-Target.mp4"][/video]]]> Next on the Menu – event file target deep dive https://docs.microsoft.com/archive/blogs/bobtaylor/next-on-the-menu-event-file-target-deep-dive Mon, 23 Jul 2018 08:00:37 GMT https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/bobtaylor/?p=885 SQL Snacks™ we will examine the event file target. Along the way we will unlock the magic of the Extended Event viewer UI in SQL Server Management Studio. Again this is longer than most SQL Snacks™ so the video will be in two parts. In the companion SQL Snacks™ this week we will examine the steps necessary to create and consume event file targets for Azure SQL Database. [video width="1620" height="1080" mp4="https://msdnshared.blob.core.windows.net/media/2018/06/Event-File-Target-part-1.mp4"][/video] [video width="1620" height="1080" mp4="https://msdnshared.blob.core.windows.net/media/2018/06/Event-File-Target-part-2.mp4"][/video]]]> Next on the Menu - Ring Buffer Target Deep Dive https://docs.microsoft.com/archive/blogs/bobtaylor/next-on-the-menu-ring-buffer-target-deep-dive Mon, 16 Jul 2018 08:00:21 GMT https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/bobtaylor/?p=855 SQL Snacks™ we will examine the Ring Buffer Extended Event target. Arguably the most flexible of the targets (despite a few of its shortfalls) we will use it to start the examination of the suite of targets available to us. In a future SQL Snacks™ we will examine the file target which is very powerful. We will examine programmatic ways to consume the file target and we will also dive deep on the capabilities in the SSMS UI for manipulating Xevent target data. [video width="1620" height="1080" mp4="https://msdnshared.blob.core.windows.net/media/2018/06/Ring-Buffer-Target-Deep-Dive.mp4" autoplay="true"][/video]]]> Thanks to your feedback - SqlCommandFilters has been improved! https://docs.microsoft.com/archive/blogs/bobtaylor/thanks-to-your-feedback-sqlcommandfilters-has-been-improved Thu, 12 Jul 2018 18:54:17 GMT https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/bobtaylor/?p=1015 static class Parameters And then you need to add the extension method itself. public static void Parameterize(this SqlCommand cmd, bool reparse = true) { Parameterize(ref cmd, reparse); } And just like that SqlCommandFilters is now an extension method on SqlCommand class! I will be checking in the change (and the change to the test app) to GitHub when I get back from family holiday.]]> Next on the Menu - a reusable pattern for parsing Xevent data https://docs.microsoft.com/archive/blogs/bobtaylor/next-on-the-menu-a-reusable-pattern-for-parsing-xevent-data Mon, 09 Jul 2018 08:00:01 GMT https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/bobtaylor/?p=835 SQL Snacks™ I will demonstrate a simple, three step process for writing a Transact-SQL script that can parse your Extended Event Session data. Then, in the upcoming SQL Snacks™ I will examine each target type individually with demo code for you to use. [video width="1620" height="1080" mp4="https://msdnshared.blob.core.windows.net/media/2018/06/Xevent-Data-Parsing.mp4" autoplay="true"][/video]  ]]>