◆ Microsoft SQL Server

Troubleshoot common SQL Server problems

This is real work, not a feature someone invented — it comes from real job ads and real questions people asked. Below are four ready AI prompts: get it done, make it easy for the next person to say yes to, work out the right move when you are stuck, and stop it coming back.

4prompts

The same task, four prompts

today's deadline · the next reviewer · the stuck moment · the pattern
AExecute — do the immediate taskInvestigate why the 'ReportingDB' database is experiencing high CPU utilization and slow query…+
Investigate why the 'ReportingDB' database is experiencing high CPU utilization and slow query performance for the last hour. Provide a root cause analysis by end of day.
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
BImprove — make it easier to acceptBefore I dive into the high CPU on ReportingDB, get a quick snapshot of the top 5 most…+
Before I dive into the high CPU on ReportingDB, get a quick snapshot of the top 5 most expensive queries running right now and identify any blocking sessions. This will help me prioritize what to fix first to get performance back.
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
CDecide — diagnose the stuck momentThe finance team is reporting that their month-end reports are running incredibly slowly on…+
The finance team is complaining about slow reports, but the usual performance metrics look normal.
The finance team is reporting that their month-end reports are running incredibly slowly on ReportingDB, but I'm not seeing any obvious CPU spikes or disk I/O issues. I'm afraid it's a subtle locking issue or a parameter sniffing problem I'm missing. What's the best way to quickly pinpoint the exact bottleneck that's affecting their specific queries?
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
DBecome — change the patternI'm constantly reacting to 'slow database' complaints from users, which pulls me away from…+
I spend too much time reacting to performance complaints instead of proactively preventing them.
I'm constantly reacting to 'slow database' complaints from users, which pulls me away from other critical tasks. It feels like I'm always chasing symptoms instead of fixing the root causes. I'm losing too much time and getting burned out. What habit should I change to shift from reactive firefighting to proactive performance management?
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?

Questions people actually ask

honest answers, no sign-up

Every task here was seen in the real world. Someone doing the job named it, a real job ad asked for it, or a lot of people asked about it online.

If nothing real showed a task, it is not on the page. That is the whole rule.

They are the same job approached four ways, because what you need depends on where you are.

Get it done today. Make it easy for the next person to say yes to. Work out the right move when you are stuck. Learn the pattern so the job stops coming back.

For most of these jobs it can carry the heavy thinking - draft it, sort it, check it, rehearse it with you.

It cannot sit in your chair, take the blame when a number is wrong, or notice what nobody wrote down. Let it do the first 80%. Keep the last 20% that is truly yours.

No. Copy any prompt and paste it into the AI you already use. No account, no score, no wall in the way.

Any of them. The prompts describe the work rather than naming a product, so they are not tied to one assistant.

That is also why they keep working when you switch.

Change it freely. Every prompt is a starting line, not a rule.

Put in your real numbers, your real names and your real deadline. The more you make it yours, the better the answer comes back.

The tasks come from real job ads, published job data and the questions people ask in public forums.

The steps come from Microsoft SQL Server's own documentation, with practitioner sources for the traps the manual does not mention.

Push once. Ask it to sharpen the weakest part and to say what it assumed.

Most wrong answers come from a missing detail rather than a bad prompt - tell it the thing it could not know.