Understanding SQL Server row structure, including fixed and variable length columns, null bitmaps, and how trailing nulls affect storage efficiency.
A comparison of SQL Server's Full, Simple, and Bulk-Logged recovery models, covering transaction log behavior, backup requirements, and disaster recovery implications.
Essential SQL Server maintenance tasks for accidental DBAs: backup strategies, consistency checks with DBCC CHECKDB, index rebuilds, and understanding RPO/RTO.
How to audit your database for implicit conversions, identify data type mismatches across columns, and find conversion warnings in the plan cache.
Why SQL Server heap tables cause performance problems through full table scans and forwarding rows, with a demo showing the I/O impact and how to fix them.
Why data type selection matters for SQL Server performance, memory usage, backups, and long-term scalability, with concrete byte-savings examples.
An introduction to SQL Server database design covering data type selection, table structure, and why thoughtful design matters for long-term performance.
A reusable SQL query to report row counts, total space, used space, and unused space per table and schema using sys.allocation_units.
Key considerations when migrating to SQL Server 2014 or 2016, including the new cardinality estimator, edition changes, and version downgrades.
