Darling Data
@erikdarling.com
📤 458
📥 78
📝 636
I will make your
#SQLServer
faster in exchange for money.
https://linktr.ee/darlingdata
Performance Studio 1.5.0 released!
github.com/erikdarlingd...
Got a bunch of cool feedback from Joe Obbish to make the plan analysis smarter and less noisy. And in case you missed it, I'm putting all the analysis into a website:
plans.erikdarling.com
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Releases · erikdarlingdata/PerformanceStudio
Free, open-source SQL Server execution plan analyzer — cross-platform GUI + CLI with 30 analysis rules, missing index detection, SSMS extension. Built-in MCP server for AI-assisted plan review. - e...
https://github.com/erikdarlingdata/PerformanceStudio/releases
about 17 hours ago
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Want to have a say in how my performance monitoring tool moves forward? Head here to give me feedback:
github.com/erikdarlingd...
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Planning the next major version · erikdarlingdata PerformanceMonitor · Discussion #832
I'm considering decommissioning the Full dashboard in favor of the Lite dashboard with two modes: What you're used to, standalone, easy to run and monitor tool The Lite dashboard with a Windows Ser...
https://github.com/erikdarlingdata/PerformanceMonitor/discussions/832
1 day ago
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There's a new version of sp_WhoIsActive, for those who celebrate:
github.com/amachanic/sp...
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Release 2026-04-09 · amachanic/sp_whoisactive
Major Versioning and Non-Behavioral Script Changes Removed the legacy who_is_active.sql file Broke script into different versions based on targeted SQL Server compatibility (see README.MD in the r...
https://github.com/amachanic/sp_whoisactive/releases/tag/20260409
5 days ago
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reposted by
Darling Data
Gianluca Sartori
6 days ago
Hear, hear! WorkloadTools 1.7.3 is out!
github.com/spaghettidba...
Many fixes to replay code
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Release 1.7.3 · spaghettidba/WorkloadTools
Fixed countless synchronization bugs Improved replay progress messages
https://github.com/spaghettidba/WorkloadTools/releases/latest
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i've never seen this site before, but it's making me happy in the moment:
howfuckedismydatabase.com/nosql/
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How fucked is my NoSQL database?
Evaluate how fucked your NoSQL database is with this handy website.
https://howfuckedismydatabase.com/nosql/
6 days ago
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Making A Website For Tracking My GitHub Stats Making A Website For Tracking My GitHub Stats GitHub only keeps 14 days of traffic data. If you don't capture it, it's gone. I got tired of losing that...
https://erikdarling.com/making-a-website-for-tracking-my-github-stats/
6 days ago
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In case anyone is interested, I built a site for my GitHub repo stats:
stats.erikdarling.com
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Darling Data - GitHub Stats
GitHub repository statistics
https://stats.erikdarling.com/
6 days ago
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New Performance Monitor release! Version 2.6. is out and ready for your monitoring pleasure.
github.com/erikdarlingd...
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Release v2.6.0 - EGOT · erikdarlingdata/PerformanceMonitor
You Can't Beat Someone Who's Having Fun The main goal of this release was to improve data presentation. Obviously some other stuff came up along the way, and thanks to everyone who submitted issues...
https://github.com/erikdarlingdata/PerformanceMonitor/releases/tag/v2.6.0
7 days ago
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Free SQL Server query plan analysis, right in your browser:
plans.erikdarling.com
Powered by the same analysis engine as Performance Studio. XML doesn't leave your browser, so you can stay private.
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Free SQL Server Query Plan Analysis — Darling Data
https://plans.erikdarling.com/
8 days ago
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Performance Studio Release v1.4.0
github.com/erikdarlingd...
As always, a big MERCI is due to MON AMI Romain Ferraton for all the nifty UI/UX tweaks he's been making. For my part, I mostly tried not mess anything up, while adding in some stuff that I think is pretty handy.
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Release v1.4.0 · erikdarlingdata/PerformanceStudio
Contextual Schema Lookup As always, a big MERCI is due to MON AMI rferraton, for all the nifty little UI/UX tweaks he's been adding in here. The headline feature in v1.4.0: right-click any table or...
https://github.com/erikdarlingdata/PerformanceStudio/releases/tag/v1.4.0
9 days ago
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For all my F5 friends out there, here's a new release of my SQL Server performance troubleshooting stored procedures:
github.com/erikdarlingd...
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Release Updates_20260401 - First things first I'll eat your brains · erikdarlingdata/DarlingData
April 1, 2026 Release What's New TestBackupPerformance 1.0 (new procedure) Tests backup throughput across combinations of file count (striping), compression, buffer count, and max transfer size Co...
https://github.com/erikdarlingdata/DarlingData/releases/tag/Updates_20260401
13 days ago
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Performance Monitor 2.5.0 Release (FREE|MIT) This release represents the most powerful and capable release since the last release. Game changer. Literally transformative. It will rock you to your very core.
github.com/erikdarlingd...
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Release v2.5.0 - Before The Fool's Day · erikdarlingdata/PerformanceMonitor
Better Than Yours Contributors: @tnguyen7s, @jakemorgangit, @kontrago, @dphugo, @HannahVernon This release represents the most powerful and capable release since the last release. Game changer. Lit...
https://github.com/erikdarlingdata/PerformanceMonitor/releases/tag/v2.5.0
15 days ago
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New Performance Studio Release: 1.3.0 (FREE|MIT):
github.com/erikdarlingd...
Thanks to Romain Ferraton for the continued Query Store prettification.
16 days ago
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Back in Chicago to bring human-generated joy to the people for PASS Data Comunity SUmmit East! Register here:
click.red-gate.com/ODA4LUlURy03...
#PASSDataSummit
18 days ago
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Hyper-threading on Azure VMs is a SQL Licensing Trap Azure VMs with hyper-threading enabled are sized according to logical cores instead of physical cores. These logical cores can perform with 50% of the power of...
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Hyper-threading on Azure VMs is a SQL Licensing Trap
Azure VMs with hyper-threading enabled are sized according to logical cores instead of physical cores. These logical cores can perform with 50% of the power of physical cores for high...
https://erikdarling.com/hyper-threading-on-azure-vms-is-a-sql-licensing-trap/
20 days ago
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top microsoft man strikes again:
seangallardy.com/non-yielding...
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Non-Yielding Scheduler During Backups? – Opinionated SQL
Sparked by my friends at Straight Path SQL, we’re going to look at a rare cause of non-yielding scheduler dumps. This is another one of those items that I meant to write about a long time ago when I…
https://seangallardy.com/non-yielding-scheduler-during-backups/
21 days ago
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my proper friend forrest wrote a great post©️
forrestmcdaniel.com/2026/03/23/i...
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It’s Here: AI Query Tuning
Early in Covid, even before the mass awareness set in, I remember reading some blog posts from the rationalist community. They fundamentally said two things: the disease and math are real, and this…
https://forrestmcdaniel.com/2026/03/23/its-here-ai-query-tuning/
21 days ago
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reposted by
Darling Data
John Q. Martin [He | Him | His]
23 days ago
Been having a few chats about tech debt recently, everyone seems to have a different view so I have pulled this survey together.
forms.cloud.microsoft/e/a7Bx2U4tXd
It would be great to get your thoughts & feedback. My plan is to publish the response data under creative commons for everyone to use.
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jafar, why do you disapprove of the paloma?
23 days ago
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And so it begins.
www.popsci.com/technology/d...
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‘Dune’ tried to warn us against AI
‘Thou shalt not make a machine in the likeness of a human mind.’
https://www.popsci.com/technology/dune-ai-warning/
23 days ago
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Performance Studio 1.2.5: Query Store Time Slicer and Automatic Updates:
github.com/erikdarlingd...
I don't normally do two releases of Performance Studio in a week, but Romain Ferraton added this absolutely gorgeous time slicer to the Query Store integration (along with some bar charts).
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Release v1.2.5 · erikdarlingdata/PerformanceStudio
What's Changed Add confirmation dialog before update restart by @erikdarlingdata in #126 Bump to v1.2.5 by @erikdarlingdata in #127 Release v1.2.5 by @erikdarlingdata in #128 Full Changelog: v1.2...
https://github.com/erikdarlingdata/PerformanceStudio/releases/tag/v1.2.5
25 days ago
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i finally found a genuine query_hash collision in sql server. i think it's time to go.
26 days ago
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life hack: if you don't like the bloody mary mix, order a double in a short glass.
26 days ago
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My Performance Monitoring tool is so good, it even detects corruption:
github.com/erikdarlingd...
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[BUG] On v2.3.0 SQL Dumps on Passive Mirrored SQL DB · Issue #632 · erikdarlingdata/PerformanceMonitor
Component Full Dashboard Performance Monitor Version 2.3.0 SQL Server Version SQL 2016 Windows Version Windows Server 2016 Describe the Bug v2.3.0.zip Steps to Reproduce On v2.3.0 SQL Dumps on Pass...
https://github.com/erikdarlingdata/PerformanceMonitor/issues/632#issuecomment-4090853209
27 days ago
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Double Your Core Count With Azure SQL Managed Instance I'm going to open with a perhaps controversial statement: "when you buy 4 vCores on the Azure SQL Managed Instance platform, what you're actually buying is...
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Double Your Core Count With Azure SQL Managed Instance
I'm going to open with a perhaps controversial statement: "when you buy 4 vCores on the Azure SQL Managed Instance platform, what you're actually buying is 2 physical cores presented...
https://erikdarling.com/double-your-core-count-with-azure-sql-managed-instance/
27 days ago
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Performance Monitor 2.3 Release:
github.com/erikdarlingd...
My War on the Big Monitoring© Industrial Complex: * ErikAI analysis engine — rule-based analysis * FinOps — Enterprise feature audit, CPU/memory right-sizing, compression savings, VM right-sizing * Lite data import from previous install
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Release v2.3.0 · erikdarlingdata/PerformanceMonitor
See CHANGELOG.md for full release notes. Highlights ErikAI analysis engine — rule-based inference for Lite and Dashboard with anomaly detection, bad actor scoring, and CPU spike detection FinOps c...
https://github.com/erikdarlingdata/PerformanceMonitor/releases/tag/v2.3.0
28 days ago
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Stay In The Loop, Not In The Middle Credits and Debits This post is inspired by my BFFL Joe Sack's wonderful post: Keep Humans in the Circle. It's an attempt to detail my progression using LLMs, up...
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Stay In The Loop, Not In The Middle
Credits and Debits This post is inspired by my BFFL Joe Sack's wonderful post: Keep Humans in the Circle. It's an attempt to detail my progression using LLMs, up through...
https://erikdarling.com/stay-in-the-loop-not-in-the-middle/
28 days ago
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Performance Monitor for SQL Server v2.2.0 Release! This is a big one for efficiency and, well, performance. * Compacted LOB data * Major UI responsiveness improvements * Smarter use of Parquet files There's a lot in the release notes for this one.
github.com/erikdarlingd...
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Release v2.2.0 · erikdarlingdata/PerformanceMonitor
Performance Monitor v2.2.0 — Release Notes Release date: 2026-03-11 Previous release: v2.1.0 (2026-03-04) LOB Compression — 19× Storage Reduction The three largest collection tables in Dashboard —...
https://github.com/erikdarlingdata/PerformanceMonitor/releases/tag/v2.2.0
about 1 month ago
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the entity framework team is desperately in need of adult database supervision.
learn.microsoft.com/en-us/ef/cor...
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What's New in EF Core 11
Overview of new features in EF Core 11
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/ef/core/what-is-new/ef-core-11.0/whatsnew#linq-maxby-minby
about 1 month ago
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travel days are always the most exciting computer days. last week before heading to nashville, i had a bios update. this week before heading to chicago, i have low disk space and a 2.2tb xml file called "health_plan".
about 1 month ago
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New Performance Studio Release: Ever wanted to look at a query plan and instantly see all the important stuff you normally have to go digging for, with expert-level analysis done automatically? Works on Windows and Macs.
github.com/erikdarlingd...
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Releases · erikdarlingdata/PerformanceStudio
SQL Server execution plan analyzer — cross-platform CLI and desktop GUI - erikdarlingdata/PerformanceStudio
https://github.com/erikdarlingdata/PerformanceStudio/releases
about 1 month ago
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@motherduck.com
thanks for the duck!
about 1 month ago
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on a bit of a building spree, and wanted to gives performance tuning dbas and performance-curious developers a standlone, cross-platform tool to analyze, compare, and get advice on sql server query plans.
github.com/erikdarlingd...
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Releases · erikdarlingdata/PerformanceStudio
SQL Server execution plan analyzer — cross-platform CLI and desktop GUI - erikdarlingdata/PerformanceStudio
https://github.com/erikdarlingdata/PerformanceStudio/releases
about 1 month ago
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What Do You Call A Join That Isn't A Semi Join? What Do You Call A Join That Isn't A Semi Join? There's a gap in SQL Server database terminology that's been bugging me as long as I've been teaching...
https://erikdarling.com/what-do-you-call-a-join-that-isnt-a-semi-join/
about 1 month ago
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Free, open source SQL Server performance monitoring that doesn't suck. New in 2.1.0: - 18 *new* plan analysis rules - Standalone plan viewer - Light themes for the dark mode haters - Timezone toggles - Tons more fixes and improvements
github.com/erikdarlingd...
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Release v2.1.0 · erikdarlingdata/PerformanceMonitor
What's New Light Themes & Visual Polish Light theme and "Cool Breeze" theme with live preview in settings — @ClaudioESSilva (#347) Warning status icon in server health indicators — @ClaudioESSilva...
https://github.com/erikdarlingdata/PerformanceMonitor/releases/tag/v2.1.0
about 1 month ago
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For all the nice folks out there who still like to hit F5 to troubleshoot SQL Server, here are some spring script updates:
github.com/erikdarlingd...
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Release Updates_20260301 - SHPRING IS SHPROINGING · erikdarlingdata/DarlingData
March 1, 2026 Release It seems I have survived another winter, with the aid and succor of many friends from Islay, Scotland. To celebrate, here are some updates to my procedures for the nice folks ...
https://github.com/erikdarlingdata/DarlingData/releases/tag/Updates_20260301
about 1 month ago
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The new Ballmer Curve:
tomwojcik.com/posts/2026-0...
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What AI coding costs you | Tom Wojcik
What's the effect of the prolonged AI usage among coders and is it tracked correctly, if it all?
https://tomwojcik.com/posts/2026-02-15/finding-the-right-amount-of-ai/
about 2 months ago
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Currently working on surfacing query plan stuff you should know about in my free SQL Server Monitoring tool. Interesting statement level information, Missing index memes, and a Wait Stats graph. Plus, more query analysis rules!
github.com/erikdarlingd...
about 2 months ago
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i could say a lot about all the features and improvements, but c'mon: native query plan viewing. 1. view cached plans from just about anywhere 2. get actual execution plans right in the dashboard 3. have my brand of plan analysis built right in
github.com/erikdarlingd...
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Releases · erikdarlingdata/PerformanceMonitor
Free, open-source SQL Server performance monitoring. Full Edition (server-installed, 30 collectors) and Lite Edition (standalone, DuckDB). Built-in MCP server for AI integration. - erikdarlingdata/...
https://github.com/erikdarlingdata/PerformanceMonitor/releases
about 2 months ago
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Get AI-Ready With Erik: Helping Vectors Rank Better With Keyword Boosts Get AI-Ready With Erik: Helping Vectors Rank Better With Keyword Boosts https://youtu.be/iLZXG0ATh6k Video Summary In this...
https://erikdarling.com/get-ai-ready-with-erik-helping-vectors-rank-better-with-keyword-boosts/
about 2 months ago
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If you're like me, and you forget which PerfMon counters to use for problems, you're gonna love the PerfMon packs coming to my free SQL Server Monitoring Tool.
github.com/erikdarlingd...
about 2 months ago
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Get AI-Ready With Erik: Full Text Keyword Search In SQL Server Get AI-Ready With Erik: Full Text Keyword Search In SQL Server https://youtu.be/xt74-ELR05g Video Summary In this video, I dive into the...
https://erikdarling.com/get-ai-ready-with-erik-full-text-keyword-search-in-sql-server/
about 2 months ago
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Coming soon to my free SQL Server Monitoring tool: native plan viewing, getting actual execution plans, and plan analysis rules that I've always wanted to see in SSMS. Check it out here:
github.com/erikdarlingd...
about 2 months ago
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Looking for feedback on filtering, alert muting, and exclusions with my free SQL Server monitoring tool:
github.com/erikdarlingd...
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[FEATURE] Query and alert filtering: ignore lists, alert muting, database exclusions · Issue #228 · erikdarlingdata/PerformanceMonitor
Overview Users need the ability to filter out noise from monitoring and alerting — specific queries, databases, or alert patterns they don't care about. This is especially important for Azure SQL D...
https://github.com/erikdarlingdata/PerformanceMonitor/issues/228
about 2 months ago
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SQL Server Performance Office Hours Episode 49 SQL Server Performance Office Hours Episode 49 https://youtu.be/U4z0UZrrCn0 Query Store shows this plan has the lowest average duration, so it must be the best plan. Should...
https://erikdarling.com/sql-server-performance-office-hours-episode-49/
about 2 months ago
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Emulating GETDATE() on Azure SQL Database GETDATE() always uses the UTC time zone on Azure SQL Database which can be a compatibility issue for applications that assume that GETDATE() is using a different time zone....
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Emulating GETDATE() on Azure SQL Database
GETDATE() always uses the UTC time zone on Azure SQL Database which can be a compatibility issue for applications that assume that GETDATE() is using a different time zone. Developers...
https://erikdarling.com/emulating-getdate-on-azure-sql-database/
about 2 months ago
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a friday release! free sql performance monitoring for the people! lots of bug fixes and improvements in this one. as always, check the release notes and readme, and use github for questions, comments, concerns, and support:
github.com/erikdarlingd...
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Release v1.3.0 · erikdarlingdata/PerformanceMonitor
See CHANGELOG for full details.
https://github.com/erikdarlingdata/PerformanceMonitor/releases/tag/v1.3.0
about 2 months ago
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reading and wondering why people are so mean to databases:
learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/sq...
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SQL Server 2025 Known Issues - SQL Server
Known issues, causes, and workarounds for SQL Server 2025 (17.x), covering upgrades, replication, PolyBase, session behavior, platform compatibility (Windows and Linux), backup compression, and other…
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/sql-server/sql-server-2025-known-issues?view=sql-server-ver17#sql-server-might-become-slow-or-unresponsive-after-creating-or-bringing-online-a-large-number-of-databases
about 2 months ago
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Get AI-Ready With Erik: A Little About Cross Table Searches Get AI-Ready With Erik: A Little About Cross Table Searches https://youtu.be/iSlJfLeQZNs Video Summary In this video, I delve into the exciting...
https://erikdarling.com/get-ai-ready-with-erik-a-little-about-cross-table-searches/
about 2 months ago
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you'd think that a file called readme would encourage people to read it. funny, that.
about 2 months ago
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