Standard solutions to random problems
by John Daskalakis
Server TCP provider failed to listen on [IP Address]. Tcp port is already in use.
Consider the following scenario: You try to start the SQL Server service at a cluster node or at a...
Date: 12/08/2014
Is it safe or supported to remove the local security groups that the SQL Server setup creates (SQLServer2005MSSQLUser$$MSSQLSERVER) ?
When the SQL Server setup is ran, it creates some local groups of the following format:...
Date: 11/30/2014
TEMPDB files fail to be created with error: "CREATE FILE encountered operating system error 32"
The TEMPDB database is a unique database, as its files are deleted and recreated every time you...
Date: 11/28/2014
Does the CRM database and application support the SNAPSHOT isolation level?
This is a very interesting question that for some reason has not been documented in the Official CRM...
Date: 11/21/2014
Script to export the configuration of SQL Server
Recently I was asked to write a script that would export (or backup) as much configuration...
Date: 10/27/2014
The server could not load the certificate it needs to initiate an SSL connection. It returned the following error: 0x8009030d. Check certificates to make sure they are valid.
This time I came across a certificate error, that was stopping the SQL Server service from starting:...
Date: 10/15/2014
Msg 2547, Sev 16, State 1 - Unable to process object ID X (object "Y") because it is a synonym
This is a really exotic error! It happened during an Index Rebuild operation of a CRM database and...
Date: 10/15/2014
How to install a Service Pack at a SQL Server 2012 Failover Instance - Best Practices
Best practices for updating a SQL Server 2012 Failover Instance Part 1 – Preparing for the...
Date: 09/05/2014
How to troubleshoot Scheduled Tasks that fail to run
Frequently a Scheduled Task fails to execute and you need to identify why it stopped working. Or it...
Date: 05/21/2014
The OpenSSL "Heartbleed" vulnerability and SQL Server
I just wanted to share with everyone that SQL Server is unaffected by the OpenSSL "Heartbleed"...
Date: 04/16/2014
Some misconceptions about uninstalling SQL Server 2008 (and SQL Server 2008 R2)
Recently I was involved in troubleshooting a SQL Server 2008 installation that was failing. I found...
Date: 04/04/2014
Windows Server 2012 stop error: BugCheck 3B, {c0000005, fffff88000e11d4b, fffff8800883d5b0, 0}
Since I did not find this information publicly available and it seems to occur frequently, I hope...
Date: 02/10/2014
What data to collect from a SQL Server failover instance after a problem occurs
All too often, after a problem occurs, the administrators will not collect and save any logs from...
Date: 01/13/2014
Information you need to know before setting up GeoClustering at SQL Server 2008 or SQL Server 2012
Happy New Year to everyone! :) This week I will provide distilled information about GeoClustering....
Date: 01/07/2014
The strangest SQL Server Agent problem you will ever meet!
I came across this issue recently and I found it to be logged nowhere. It was a nightmare to...
Date: 12/17/2013
How to do a quick SQL Server healthcheck
There is sometimes the need to do a quick SQL Server healthcheck. Usually this is needed before a...
Date: 12/09/2013
How to use Extended Events to proactively monitor your SQL Server for Deadlock issues
Usually after a deadlock occurs, we don't have the needed information to troubleshoot the deadlock...
Date: 12/02/2013
SQL Server default settings that you might want to change
One very common complaint I receive from SQL Server administrators is: “Why is not SQLServer...
Date: 11/25/2013
Specialized Performance Troubleshooting (Part 3: How to identify storage issues at a SQL Server box)
This week I will explain how to detect and analyze storage performance issues. The first step is to...
Date: 11/18/2013
Specialized Performance Troubleshooting (Part 2: How to troubleshoot Memory problems in SQL Server)
This week we are looking into a very common performance issue of busy SQL Server instances: Lack of...
Date: 11/11/2013
Specialized Performance Troubleshooting (Part 1: How to troubleshoot Forwarded Records)
This week I will discuss how to troubleshoot Forwarded Records issues. What are Forwarded Records?...
Date: 11/04/2013
How to troubleshoot SQL Server performance issues with simple tools (Part 2: How to analyze the Perfmon trace and detect SQL Server performance issues)
We have already shown how we can detect IO bottlenecks inside a Perfmon trace. Now it is time to see...
Date: 10/21/2013
How to troubleshoot SQL Server performance issues with simple tools (Part 1: How to analyze the Perfmon trace and detect IO bottlenecks)
So you have finally collected the Perfmon trace. Good job! Now, how can you analyze and evaluate...
Date: 10/14/2013
How to troubleshoot SQL Server performance issues with simple tools (Part 1: How to collect a detailed Perfmon trace)
Most people believe that in order to troubleshoot performance issues in a SQL Server instance you...
Date: 10/07/2013
Database maintenance and when is it needed (Part 5: Back Up Database)
This week we are closing our discussion regarding database maintenance steps, with the most...
Date: 09/30/2013
Database maintenance and when is it needed (Part 4: Update Statistics)
This week’s special is the database maintenance step called “Update Statistics”....
Date: 09/23/2013
Database maintenance and when is it needed (Part 3: “Reorganize Index” and “Rebuild Index”)
This week we will discuss about the “Reorganize Index” and “Rebuild Index”...
Date: 09/16/2013
Database maintenance and when is it needed (Part 2: SHRINK operations)
This week I follow up the database maintenance discussion with the next step mentioned at the...
Date: 09/09/2013
Database maintenance and when is it needed (Part 1: Integrity Checks)
One very common question I get is: “What kind of maintenance does my database need?” The...
Date: 09/02/2013