SQL Server Transactional Replication is a powerful tool that can address many challenges in your environment. Setting up Replication is not difficult, but it can be time-consuming, depending on the amount of data you need to replicate. This is why some people dread...
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Our blog is an invaluable resource for anyone struggling with the challenges of managing a database, applications, or clouds.
We understand the difficulties involved in troubleshooting, building, improving, securing, and operating these platforms,
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When Billions of Rows Bring SQL Server to Its Knees: A Query Tuning Detective Story
The Setup: A High-Stakes Data Transfer In the world of database administration, moving data is a daily task. But when the table you need to archive contains over 8.6 billion rows, a routine task becomes a high-stakes, multi-day operation. This was the exact scenario I...
Monitoring Transactional Replication Latency in SQL Server with Canary Tables
I was recently asked by a client to set up an easy way to monitor Replication Latency in SQL Server. The client wanted to be notified whenever data took more than 10 minutes to reach its destination. SQL Server does provide some built-in methods to help with this,...
The Billion-Row Scan: Why Your SQL Query for MAX Is Slow and How to Fix It
A Simple Query with a Devious Problem It's a scenario every database professional has encountered: a seemingly simple query brings a powerful server to its knees. In this case, 64 Core / 1TB RAM / all SSD. … AND the query was as basic as it gets: SELECT @LastMaxID =...
Why SQL Server 2025 Is AI-Ready with Microsoft Fabric—and How XTIVIA Can Help
In today's rapidly evolving tech landscape, artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer a futuristic concept—it's now a crucial part of how businesses manage data, streamline operations, and drive insights. SQL Server 2025, the latest version of Microsoft's flagship...
AI-Powered Databases: How Built-In Intelligence is Revolutionizing Data Management
Database management? It's constantly changing! We've watched AI help DBAs with external tools, and now, we're seeing something really cool: AI is becoming part of the database itself. Artificial Intelligence is being directly embedded, providing intelligent...
Peace of Mind Included: Understanding SLAs for Your Remote DBA Managed Services
Database downtime can cripple your business operations and lead to significant financial losses. Every minute your database is offline, you're losing potential revenue, damaging customer trust, and straining your resources. Is your Service Level Agreement (SLA) for...
Is Your Cloud SQL Server Eating Your Lunch Money? (And How to Stop It!)
Let's face it: Cloud SQL Server instances are fantastic. They offer scalability, flexibility, and all those other buzzwords we love. But they can also be sneaky little budget-busters if you're not careful. It's easy to get carried away with provisioning more...
How Oracle DBSAT Helps You Meet CIS Benchmarks with Confidence
As a database professional with over 20 years of managing Oracle environments, I've seen firsthand how database security has evolved from a checkbox task to a mission-critical discipline. With threats becoming increasingly sophisticated and auditors relying more...