Getting help.
WHEN TO ESCALATE
Suspected corruption Crashes with no clear cause Performance problems you cannot explain after measuring Anything where the next step could lose data
WHAT TO PREPARE BEFORE ASKING
The exact version The configuration The error, in full What you have already tested When it started
WHY THE VERSION MATTERS SO MUCH
Behaviour differs between minor releases, and advice is version-specific.
WHAT TO PROVIDE FOR PERFORMANCE PROBLEMS
The query Its execution plan The table structure and indexes Row counts
WHY THAT SET
It is what anyone competent will ask for first.
WHAT TO REDACT
Customer data Credentials Identifying details
WHAT TO BE CAREFUL WITH
Pasting real data into public forums.
WHAT TO ASK YOUR HOST FOR ON SHARED INFRASTRUCTURE
Your own slow query log Confirmation of limits applied to your account
WHAT COMMERCIAL SUPPORT PROVIDES
Access to people who have seen the failure before.
WHAT IT COSTS
Substantially, and it is worth it for systems that cannot fail.
WHAT TO ESTABLISH BEFORE YOU NEED IT
How to raise an urgent case, and who is authorised to.
WHY IN ADVANCE
Discovering the process during an incident wastes the hours that matter.
