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...

Author: JohnDask 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:...

Author: JohnDask 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...

Author: JohnDask 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...

Author: JohnDask 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...

Author: JohnDask 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:...

Author: JohnDask 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...

Author: JohnDask 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...

Author: JohnDask 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...

Author: JohnDask 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"...

Author: JohnDask 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...

Author: JohnDask 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...

Author: JohnDask 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...

Author: JohnDask 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....

Author: JohnDask 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...

Author: JohnDask 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...

Author: JohnDask 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...

Author: JohnDask 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...

Author: JohnDask 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...

Author: JohnDask 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...

Author: JohnDask 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?...

Author: JohnDask 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...

Author: JohnDask 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...

Author: JohnDask 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...

Author: JohnDask 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...

Author: JohnDask 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”....

Author: JohnDask 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”...

Author: JohnDask 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...

Author: JohnDask 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...

Author: JohnDask Date: 09/02/2013