“Hello all. I am writing this post because I am in big trouble. I recently joined an organization and unfortunately, I forgot the password of SQL database. Not a great situation for a new employee, so can you help me out? Can anyone tell me how do I reset SQL sa password? I will be really grateful if you could suggest any easy solution.”

Are you also suffering from a similar problem as mentioned in the query? Do you also want to know how to reset SQL sa password ? Then this is the right blog for you. Read on.

SQL Server database administrators often find themselves in an awkward position when they forget or lose the database password. This problem can happen to anyone at any given time. If you find yourself in the same situation, do not worry. This post will elaborately discuss various methods that can be implemented to fix this problem.

3 Quick Methods to Reset SQL sa Password

If you have lost your SQL database password, do not jump into the decision of reinstalling the SQL Server. Keep patience and read the solutions stated in this section. Here we will learn two different methods to reset SQL SA password for SQL database.

Method 1: Use Management Studio to Reset SQL SA Password

If you have lost the SA password, you can easily reset it using the management studio. After that, you will regain the access to SA account by Windows Authentication mode.

• Login to SQL Server. For this, use Windows Authentication.
• Navigate to Object Explorer to expand Security folder. Now, expand Logins folder and right-click on SA account. From the options, click on Properties.
• When Properties window opens, add new password and confirm it. Click on OK to set this as your new SA password.

Method 2: Use SQL Script to Reset SQL SA Password
In case you reset SQL database password, users can also try using SQL scripts to add a new password to the database.

• First of all, you have to launch SQL Server Management Studio.
• Open a new query in it.
• Enter the scripts mentioned below for execution:

  GO
  ALTER LOGIN [sa] WITH DEFAULT_DATABASE=[master]
  GO
  USE [master]
  GO
  ALTER LOGIN [sa] WITH PASSWORD=N'NewPassword' MUST_CHANGE
  GO

Note: Here, NewPassword will be the password you want to use for your SA account in place of the lost password.

Method 3: Use SQL Password Recovery Tool

If you find these above-mentioned methods complex, or if you are not willing to perform those processes, we have a better option for you. Presenting SysTools SQL sa Password Reset Tool. This affordable yet effective tool will help you set a new password for SQL database whose password you have lost.

It is really simple to get back the access to your SA account using this utility. Launch the tool and add the MDF file in it. All of its users will get displayed on the screen. You will the password value of SA account is Unknown. Select SA and click on Reset Password. Add a new password and confirm it. Now you are all set to access the SA account using this password.

Attention: We strongly recommend having the backup of MDF file before proceeding with this method.

Conclusion

Forgetting the SQL database SA account password can cause immense trouble for the admins and many people in real life do suffer from this problem. That is why we see a lot of people asking the same question in forums, how to reset SQL database password. For them, we have described three simple solutions to change their password. If the manual methods are not working or seems lengthy, users can go for the tool mentioned here. This software is one of the most popular software

For every Database admin, ensuring the smooth performance of the SQL Server is a headache. They need to perform various tasks and tricks for a productive and fast SQL database. One such common task is to keep the Index fragmentation in check. While this is a challenge for the DBAs, Index Fragmentation can be controlled by reorganizing and rebuilding.

Rebuilding Index in SQL Server is the method often used when the fragmentation level goes higher. If you want to improve the performance of SQL database, you have to rebuild the index. But the question is when and how to perform this task. This write-up will focus on the best practices in rebuilding index of SQL Server. We will also discuss when is the right time to conduct this task easily.

Rebuilding Index in SQL Database – Know Why and When to Perform?

It is known to the SQL Server users that database performance gets significantly hampered if the SQL database becomes full of fragmented indexes. As Index Fragmentation keeps increasing along with the database usage, admins should be careful about the fragmentation rate. Depending on the database size, DBAs should fix a schedule when the index fragmentation will be checked using “sys.dm_db_index_physical_stats” command. When this command is run, users can learn about the percentage of index fragmentation in SQL database.

If the percentage is as low as 10%, no additional action is needed. If the level is between 10%- 30%, you have to rebuild the index to enhance its performance. Only when it crosses the 30% bar, the question of rebuilding index in SQL Server comes to the scene. However, some SQL Server experts recommend performing Index rebuilding only when the fragmentation rate reaches 80% or 90%. Since rebuilding index is a resource-consuming task, database admins should consider how much the fragmentation affects the database performance before rebuilding the index.

Best Practices in Rebuilding Index in SQL Server

If you are interested in rebuilding indexes, it is better to follow certain basic rules, known as the best practices in Index rebuilding. For example, if you are using any SQL Server edition other than the Enterprise Edition, then this task should be done offline. Since the feature of Online Index Rebuilding got introduced in SQL Server 2005 Enterprise Edition, any earlier version users need to perform it offline. With Online index rebuilding, the index never goes offline and table also remains available for use during the process.

In case of SQL Enterprise Editions that support online index rebuild, the online process takes more time than offline rebuilding. That is why, offline index rebuilding is highly recommended if the company can afford downtime. To minimize the downtime, it should be done when minimum people are using the database or it should be done along with scheduled maintenance tasks. Therefore, nighttime is perfect to schedule index rebuilding. It is also suggested to conduct this task at least once a week. If you do not have any maintenance window for your database, you can try doing Online rebuilding.

Rebuilding Index in SQL Server consumes a lot of resources. So performing it too regularly will create inconvenience to the database with scarce resources. Database admins should consider their database capacity and resources before scheduling the index rebuilding.

Note:  Get to know How to Deal with Index Corruption in SQL Server

Concluding Thoughts

Index fragmentation is a common situation in all SQL databases. The productivity of the SQL Server depends on the level of Index fragmentation. Only a controlled Index fragmentation rate is desirable for smooth functioning of SQL Server. Among many approaches that keep the fragmentation level in control, rebuilding Index is a popular one.
In this process, logical index fragmentation is removed, statistics get updated and database page space is emptied. Therefore, users should include this in their maintenance scheduling window. They can also learn about the best practices in rebuilding index in SQL Server from this post. Also, consider the situation of your own SQL database to customize the rebuilding process.