Transaction Log Internals, unplugged

Proposed session for SQLBits 2026

TL; DR

In this unscripted session we'll dig into transaction log internals, how SQL Server uses the logs and why things go wrong, all based on your questions

Session Details

Ever wondered how SQL Server uses the transaction log? Or how the log looks internally? Or why Change Data Capture prevents log reuse?

This is your opportunity to find out. This session will have no presentation, no fixed content, no rehearsed delivery.
Just a drawing app, a pen and your questions. Bring it on!

3 things you'll get out of this session

Answers to their questions on how the transaction log is structured Answers to their questions on how the transaction log is used Answers to their questions on problems involving the transaction log

Gail Shaw's other proposed sessions for 2026

All about Indexes - Part 1 - 2026

All about Indexes - Part 2 - 2026

Identifying the worst performing queries in a DB, with Query Store - 2026

KQL for the SQL Professional - 2026

On Transactions and Atomic Operations - 2026

Parameter Sniffing vs Parameter Sensitive Plan Optimization - 2026

Gail Shaw's previous sessions

Regressions, neurons and decisions. Oh My!

Linear regression, neural networks and neural networks are three of the foundational algorithms in machine learning. In this session, we'll look at how they work and how they generate the results that they do.

All about Indexes

Indexes are essential to good database performance, but it can be hard to decide what indexes to create. In this session we'll look at the design considerations for clustered indexes and for nonclustered indexes.

All about Indexes

Indexes are essential to good database performance, but it can be hard to decide what indexes to create. In this session we'll look at guidelines for index creation

Do's and don'ts of database corruption

In this session we'll look at the things you should and shouldn't be doing now, to protect yourself and your data against the risk of corruption and thing you should and shouldn't do should the database ever become corrupt.

In this session we'll look at the common causes of bad execution plans and examine options for resolving the problem, short term and long term.