SQL Server uses something called the "Query Optimizer" to find the data you're looking for. To do that, there is another mechanism, called "Statistics", which can be created and maintained on columns in a table - even tables that don't have an Index....

This script will back up all user databases - you need to change the BWOODY1\SQL2K8 part to your server\instance name, and of course, you should only run this on a test system until you completely understand it. Unfortunately, the SQL Server PowerShell...

I'm continuing my series on the Standard Reports in SQL Server Management Studio . I’m covering two reports at once, since they have the same columns and output, but show the data from a different perspective. These two reports will help you find out...

The other day I was asked by a friend about a recommendation on a “Dashboard” for SQL Server 2005. She wanted to be able to see all the pertinent information about her server with just a few clicks. She asked me what I had used in the past, and wanted...

I’m continuing a series on the Standard Reports you can find in SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS). (Note: These reports only work against SQL Server 2005 and higher. They don’t run against the lower versions because those don’t have all the management...

We've used two major system management paradigms for SQL Server: The Microsoft Management Console (MMC) and the Visual Studio shared components. In early versions of SQL Server, we had Enterprise Manager for most management tasks from a graphical standpoint...

I mentioned a few posts back that a lot of people asked us to bring back the Query Analyzer, since many just want to jump into the query tool and start typing. I explained that you can get the same behavior – even better, in mu opinion – by just setting...

I’ve worked on a couple of SAP systems, both the “R” flavors and the BW product. Although I had my learning challenges with them, there was one construct there I really liked. It was the transport mechanism. Basically what this involved was setting...

As I was presenting at TechReady yesterday on the new SQL Server 2008 features that will directly affect Microsoft System Center, I was asked a few times about some resources where people could go to learn more about it. I thought I would share that here...

I've got another question for you - where should the tools be? Let me explain. Most of the time when you connect to SQL Server, you open SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) on a client machine and then type in the name of a server somewhere on the...

You might have read recently that there have been ongoing SQL injection attacks against vulnerable web applications occurring over the last few months. These attacks have received recurring attention in the press as they pop up in various geographies...

Well, I had another post I had planned for today, but after reviewing some customer bugs and some newsgroups where I give out free help (on my own time, mind you) I had to change my mind. I've seen this behavior in grocery stores, online forums, and bug...

In a previous post, I mentioned that you should use Filegroups and I talked a little about those. In this post, the best practice I'll point out is where those files should live. As a general rule of thumb, more "spindles" in a database are better...

"The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man." - George Bernard Shaw

Well, here's where I'm at so far: Requirements: 1. Install SQL Server 2008 and related services - file locations; default paths; service accounts http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms143547.aspx NTFS is required for installation, but if you upgrade...

So what are you using for an Entity Relationship Diagran (ERD) tool? I'm teaching a class at the University of Washington and we're doing that part of the class now. I normally use Visio, but find it a little less than perfect for this. And some of the...

We've completed the work on the Microsoft Operations Manager (MOM) "Management Pack" for SQL Server 2008. MOM allows you to monitor and manage Microsoft and even other vendor's servers, so if you have this software in your shop you can download...

I do love me some good-looking code. Sure, the syntax has to be there, and the code has to be correct and all that, but I'm old-school, and I think pretty code is easier to read. I'd love to have a "code beautifier" built right in to SQL Server...

<This is a non-technical post, at least mostly> Back in January I wrote a post on switching to a stand-up desk arrangement . Since then folks have asked me if I stuck with it, how it worked out, and will I go back to sitting down to work. I thought...

f you want to know more about Windows Azure, how it works, the components, or more about the entire platform, I’ve written about that here: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/buckwoody/archive/2012/06/13/windows-azure-write-run-or-use-software.aspx But…...

I have a lot of learning resources you can find here at my blog, but I wanted to point one out this morning. It's a Silverlight application called "Azure Design Patterns". You can find it at http://azuredesignpatterns.com/, and it's an interesting way...

Last Updated: 07/04/2011 It’s time for another certification, and we’ve released the 70-583 exam on Windows Azure. I’ve blogged my “study plans” here before on other certifications, so I thought I would do the same for...

OK – In SQL Server 2008 R2 we did “re-use” an acronym or two (DAC and DTA), but it’s important to remember there are actually two parts to this new feature. One is the Data Application Component (DAC) and the other is the Data Tier Application (DTA)....

SQL Server doesn’t have an easy way to take a table backup, so I often use the bcp (Bulk Copy Program) to accomplish the same goal. I’ve mentioned this before, and someone told me when they tried it they couldn’t restore the table – ah the dangers of...

Normally when I blog on the first day of a conference, well, there hasn’t been a first day yet. So I talk about the value of a conference or some other facet. And normally in my (non-conference) blogs, I show you how I have learned to be a data...