Check out Benjamin Nevarez if you're still pursuing this. I had several exchanges with him a while back about how calculations were derived by the optimizer. This knowledge...

Reducing MaxDop is a classic internet text book/bandaid response which 99.999% results in unacceptable results. If you're messing with maxdop, then I'd say you're short on experience and plenty...

I had the same issue with sp_send_dbmail and the @query parameter called from a SQL job. I could successfully execute sp_send_dbmail/@query param' from the Query Analyzer but it would fail...

I had the same issue with sp_send_dbmail and the @query parameter called from a SQL job. I could successfully execute sp_send_dbmail/@query param' from the Query Analyzer but it would...

It's possible that a transaction would block the DDL and, therefore, create blocking. This could be a nail biter if the table is really "hot" such as an "Order"...

My 64bit SQL 2005 Cluster can go AWOL on a specific queries. 100% CPU, IO and CPU at a virtual stand-still, and SOS_SCHEDULER_YIELD dominates exclusively. No real work...