March, 2009

In a previous post , I started the process of my study for the 70-432 exam. I'm working on that (as I have time) and I promised to post my notes here. My notes aren't totally inclusive, they are just things I found interesting as I was doing my reading...

Well, the media has done their usual stellar job on computer technology subjects, so after this weekend you may have gotten some questions about the Conficker worm. Here's a few pointers to hand out to the relatives and associates: Microsoft released...

Great Quote: "Everything has been said before, but since nobody listens, we have to keep going back and beginning all over again." Andre Gide

I was asked yesterday about sharing my security links for SQL Server, so I thought I would post those here: Microsoft Security Bulletin Summaries and Webcasts SQL Server 2000 security tools Security checklists – SQL Server 2000 (can be used as...

Many DBAs begin to tune a poorly performing database system at the hardware level. This is not always the best idea - most of the issues I've found in performance are in code, not in hardware components. For instance, if you add a good index, the system...

I'm working on my Policies (SQL Server 2008 Policy Based Management) for my environments that I manage. I use them to check the maintenance, show system state, and in some cases, to prevent actions from occurring when I don't want them to. I was asked...

If you're planning an installation or an upgrade of your systems, make sure you think about the right edition while you're in the planning process. This includes planning for something that uses SQL Server, such as Sharepoint. As you're aware, there are...

Sometimes you have a rough day. Sometimes you have a cold, and some days you feel worn down. This is a great quote that reflects what I've seen out of true professionals: "A professional is someone who can do his best work when he doesn't feel like...

You don't have to use the new PowerShell Provider for SQL Server 2008 to talk to SQL Server, even for versions from 2000 up. To do that, you'll need the Server Management Objects (SMO) libraries. You can install those separately, but you'll already...

I run into people all the time that are confused about SQL Server licensing. Now I'm no licensing expert - not by a long shot - and you SHOULD NOT take this post as authoritative in any way. I don't own the licensing story for Microsoft, not even a little...

OK, this post doesn't have a direct link to data, but it does have to do with technology. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer newspaper printed it's last issue on paper today, and went totally on-line. A lot of people are upset about this, but I for one am...

I posted the first part of the article on SQL Server Chargeback strategies over on InformIT: http://www.informit.com/guides/content.aspx?g=sqlserver&seqNum=311 The big point to make is that you will have to develop this system yourself, since there...

At 20 we worry about what others think of us, at 40, we don’t care what they think of us, and at 60, we find out others haven’t been thinking about us at all. - Bob Hope

I got another great comment today on the last two posts: Good article today on searching out SQL servers with PS. The combination of your and Ben's methods work best though. In Ben's example, you have to pull back all the Win32_Service objects and...

A reader named "Ben" wrote me and said that he looked at my script in PowerShell that finds SQL Server Instances using the WMI provider yesterday and he came up with another method. Here's what he wrote: Hi there, I wasn't able to find a way...

I found a great way to check and see if a server has SQL Server installed on it. It uses “WMI”, or Windows Management Instrumentation and PowerShell. It simply interrogates the Services on a system to see if SQL Server is there, whether it...

At Microsoft we don't often plug products or services, but I wanted to point out the V-Conference they are conducting over at SSWUG. If your travel budgets have fallen apart (as most people's have), this is a great, inexpensive way to get the same kind...

Whenever you run the command SQLPS.EXE on a SQL Server 2008 system, or right-click an object and select "Start PowerShell Here" from the menu, you're dropped into the environment on that server. But sometimes you want to connect to a different...

"I have always wished that my computer would be as easy to use as my telephone. My wish has come true. I no longer know how to use my telephone." - Bjarne Stroustrup

We've had a lot of folks switching to SQL Server from other platforms lately. They start looking at SQL Server because many of the other vendors are prohibitively expensive, and they also charge for things that come with SQL Server out of the box, like...

http://edge.technet.com/Media/Real-World-DBA-Episode-20--Help-Im-a-new-DBA-part-two/ This week: In the news, The SQL Server site has been redesigned. In this week’s feature, I’ll give you the final part of a fast introduction to being a DBA...

I recently e-mailed a bunch of friends with three questions that I have been considering. I want to build a killer demo machine, ditch all my lines to the house except for Internet, and buy a home media PC to replace my very old television. I had researched...

Last week I presented at the Pacific Northwest Data Professional's Council, and the topic we selected was "The Data Professional's Career". It was pretty non-technical, and during the presentation I gave out lots and lots of resources from Microsoft...