#tsql2sday: When the Optimizer Runs Out of Time

#tsql2sday: When the Optimizer Runs Out of Time

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When I review a query, one of the warning signs that immediately catches my attention is an EarlyAbortReason of TimeOut. While the query may still produce an acceptable execution plan, it often indicates that the SQL Server optimizer encountered a search space too large to explore completely. In this post, I examine how Early Abort events and the Optimizer Quantum can help identify overly complex queries, large join graphs, and optimization challenges before they become obvious performance problems.

Title graphic for the article Two Servers, One Script, Zero Surprises: Updating Power BI Report Server Safely. The image shows two server racks connected by arrows to a PowerShell script icon and the Power BI Report Server logo on a dark blue background with subtle network lines.
Two Servers, One Script, Zero Surprises: Updating Power BI Report Server Safely

Two Servers, One Script, Zero Surprises: Updating Power BI Report Server Safely

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Updating Power BI Report Server directly in production can be risky and painful to roll back. This post introduces a safer workflow using a dedicated test server and an automated sync script that mirrors your reports and data sources before any upgrade. Learn how this setup prevents downtime, simplifies testing, and makes Report Server updates predictable instead of stressful.

A surprised man in a light blue shirt holds his head in shock while looking at a glowing number zero. Next to him, a SQL expression “CAST('' AS INT)” and a red error sign transform into the number 0 through a lightning‑like arrow, illustrating the unexpected conversion of a blank string to zero.
Accidental Conversion: Blank converts to 0

Accidental Conversion: Blank converts to 0

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I write this blog post currently sweating in South Vietnam: Even the tap water is too warm here 🤣. There has been a lot of debate lately on LinkedIn whether AI should assist to write posts or not. For me as a non-native speaker it helps a lot. I also profit from restructuring my sometimes unwieldy thoughts 😉. Nevertheless this post is authentic and “hand written”. This is a story of an accidental conversion in a Data Warehouse load process…

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Mit Damon und Daphne ins Datenabenteuer: Data Literacy für Vorschulkinder

Mit Damon und Daphne ins Datenabenteuer: Data Literacy für Vorschulkinder

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English version Manchmal führt einen das Leben an völlig neue Orte. Nach Vorträgen auf Konferenzen rund um Datenverarbeitung, Workshops für Code First Girls und Unterrichtseinheiten für Schüler*innen motivierte mich meine Frau, noch weiterzugehen und sogar Fünfjährige für Daten zu begeistern. Eine Herausforderung, die mich sofort gepackt hat. Kurz gesagt: Ja, es funktioniert. Und wie! Für meinen Kurs „Data Literacy for Kids – Mit Datenkompetenz ins KI‑Zeitalter“ beim Haus der Familie Heilbronn (18. & 19. April 2026) habe ich sogar mein…

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Power BI Reportserver Feature Showdown: Standard vs. Enterprise Edition

Power BI Reportserver Feature Showdown: Standard vs. Enterprise Edition

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Power BI Report Server (PBIRS) is an important product — especially for organizations that need analytics on‑premises. From SQL Server 2025 onward, PBIRS is officially supported on SQL Server Standard Edition, making it accessible to a much wider range of deployments. It’s stable, reliable, and follows in the footsteps of SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS). But it also comes with… quirks. If you want to jump straight to the feature comparison, click here:👉 Skip to the Feature Comparison If you’re…

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Making Paginated Reports Less Annoying: Excel Subscriptions and Semicolon CSV

Making Paginated Reports Less Annoying: Excel Subscriptions and Semicolon CSV

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Every now and then I run into one of those long‑standing defaults in Power BI Report Server that feel like they’ve survived unchanged since the early SSRS days.A perfect example: email subscriptions for paginated reports still default to MHTML. Not exactly the format anyone is excited to receive in 2026. And yes — everything described in this post applies only to paginated reports, the report type formerly known from SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS). Power BI reports (.pbix) are not…

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Local AI Adventures: I Came, I Saw, I Gave Up

Local AI Adventures: I Came, I Saw, I Gave Up

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Often I scroll through LinkedIn, it feels like walking through an AI‑themed amusement park.There’s always someone proudly posting a glossy screenshot: “I built my entire Power BI dashboard with MCP servers and AI!”“Paginated reports? Done in minutes thanks to AI!”“My ticketing system now has a chatbot that basically runs the company!” It all looks so smooth, so elegant, so… suspiciously effortless. And of course, I wanted that too. In my head, the dream was clear: an AI apprentice sitting right…

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Erste Schritte mit der IMDb-Beispieldatenbank und DBeaver

Erste Schritte mit der IMDb-Beispieldatenbank und DBeaver

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Manchmal braucht man einfach eine kleine Spielwiese, um SQL-Abfragen auszuprobieren. Genau dafür eignet sich eine Beispieldatenbank – und was wäre cooler als eine Mini-Version der IMDb? Erstellen der Datenbank Es gibt zwei Möglichkeiten: Nach dem Entpacken findet ihr darin die Datei imdb.db, die wir gleich brauchen werden. Das richtige Werkzeug: DBeaver Zum Arbeiten mit der Datenbank empfehle ich DBeaver. Das Programm ist kostenlos, läuft auf Windows und lässt sich bequem als Zip-Version herunterladen. Erste Schritte in DBeaver Fazit Mit wenigen…

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Power BI Reportserver Goes Mainstream: Cost‑Effective On‑Prem BI with SQL 2025

Power BI Reportserver Goes Mainstream: Cost‑Effective On‑Prem BI with SQL 2025

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SQL Server 2025 hit GA on November 18, 2025, and it brings real on‑prem momentum—especially for teams invested in Power BI Report Server (PBIRS). SQL Server Standard edition now scales more comfortably, supporting up to 32 cores and 256 GB RAM (previously 128 GB), which gives mid‑size workloads room to breathe without jumping to Enterprise. That said, SSAS Tabular in Standard remains capped at 16 GB, so if Tabular models are central to your stack, that limit is still the…

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Review SQL Days – Meine Sessions und Begegnungen

Review SQL Days – Meine Sessions und Begegnungen

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English Version Es ist nun schon wieder über ein Monat her, und der stressige Alltag hat mich längst zurück. Trotzdem schaue ich gerne auf die SQL Days zurück und möchte meine Zusammenfassung hier weiterführen – diesmal mit meinen eigenen Sessions und den vielen Gesprächen, die sich ergeben haben. Session 1: Power BI Reportserver – Vielleicht nische, aber spannend Meine erste Session drehte sich um den Power BI Reportserver. Ein Thema, das bei vielen Speaker-Kollegen erstmal für Stirnrunzeln sorgt: „Power BI…

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