One of the interesting things about the PowerShell provider for SQL Server is that it is integrated so well into the entire environment. As a case-in-point, you can use the PowerShell provider for SQL Server 2008 to read the registered servers in SQL...

As a DBA, we're kind of like cooks. We don't eat all the food we cook, so to speak. We make data available to others more than we use it ourselves. But I do love the way data can be used to find things out. I was reading a news article this morning that...

I do a lot of presentations, and I’m often asked how I make sure that the demonstrations go off without a hitch. I have a few tricks I use in case you have to do presentations as well. Here is some of the setup I do to make things go smoothly: 1...

I can't tell you how many times I've come into a troubleshooting or performance tuning project, only to find that "it isn't plugged in" type issues. It reminded me of this quote: Sometimes the first duty of intelligent men is the restatement of the...

Can you run SQL Server on a Virtual Machine? Sure. Should you? Well..that's another story. You most certainly can run SQL Server in a virtualized environment - but in most of the cases that I deal with, simply having more Instances of SQL Server installed...

There's a new Microsoft security bulletin you should be aware of before you take off on vacation. It isn't an open exploit; you have to be an authenticated user to try it. Not only that, if you have all the latest service packs or SQL Server 2008 you...

By now you've probably seen all the news reports about the bad weather , or perhaps you don't need the news - you're stuck in it as well. Here in Seattle we're simply not used to this kind of snow level down below the mountains. We have lots of steep...

Today's quote of the day is one I use quite often: Always and never are two words you should always remember never to use. - Anonymous

I get asked all the time if there is a way to start up SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) using a certain connection, or to go directly to a certain script file. There are many options you can set in the "Tools | Options" menu for startup, but you can...

If you have to deal with any kind of compliance regulattions, you should check out this whitepaper, authored by my good friend JC Cannon. It's a "keeper bookmark": Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Compliance Guide Whitepaper It covers almost as much as the...

If you're in the Seattle area, and you're into Service Oriented Architecture, then you should check out the 2009 Microsoft SOA & Business Process Conference that is coming January 28th and 29th at the Microsoft Conference Center in Redmond. At this...

Load this after you thoroughly read the release notes - no, seriously, take a little time and do that. And as always, test, test, test! SP3 (Std, Dev, Ent) SP3 Express SP3 Express Advanced SP3 express Toolkit SQL 2005 Feature Pack Refresh...

No, that's not a mis-print - it's SQL Server 2005 SP2 I'm talking about. This criteria is increadibly exacting, and takes a huge investment in time and money from a company (like us) to reach. If you're in an installation that requires this type of certification...

My good friend Stephen Wynkoop over at SSWUG.ORG has a great post today . I don't normally "cross post", referencing other people's material here on this blog, since I figure you're reading mine to learn something new. But this topic is so important I...

I was speaking with my class last evening about Business Intelligence projects. I divide BI projects into a few broad steps, regardless of the vendor for the solution at the end: 1. Understanding the business and its data 2. Designing the “Star...

I've been in a couple of firms that were suject to government regulations such as "Sarbanes Oxley" and HIPPA - and it can be a real challenge to put the safeguards in place that they require. In SQL Server 2008, we've included several new features such...

I'm changing roles here at Microsoft. I'll be a Technical Solutions Professional - a fancy term that means I'll be working in the "field", directly with you, the customer. I'll be working to find out what customers are working on long term, and to help...

A good friend of mine, Lara Rubbelke, created a great framework for Policy Based Management. It uses a combination of PowerShell and Reporting Services along with PBM to help you track multiple servers, and keep them in compliance. She's posted the whole...

Recently I asked a question from our MVP community, and then passed along the answer to the person who had asked. I made sure to credit the answer to those who gave it, breaking this valuable rule from Einstein: The secret to creativity is to hide...

A special site is available to get at the whitepapers for SQL Server 2008. You can find that here: http://www.microsoft.com/sql/2008/learning/whitepapers.mspx . And here are a few of my personal favorites: Performance and Scale http://www.microsoft...

If you're interested in downloading a few of the interviews done with myself, Paul Randall, Kimberly Tripp and others, check out this link: http://technet.microsoft.com/radio Below are direct links to the wma and mp3s: WMA http://download...

At PASS a couple of weeks ago I was interviewed by Greg Low from Australia.We had a great time chatting about PowerShell, Microsoft, and all things SQL. Check it out here (who number 41): http://sqldownunder.com/PreviousShows/tabid/98/Default.aspx ...

I've spoken with some folks that are planning to move their enterprise from SQL Server 2000 to 2008. The first question they have is "Is that supported?" - the answer is yes! There is a lot of documentation you can find on the new version, and of course...