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April 2009 - Posts

Thursday, April 30, 2009 7:19 AM

And the Winner is - Get SQL Server Error Messages from PowerShell

I spoke yesterday at a large user group meeting, and we had a prize offered for the best PowerShell script. One question that was asked is how to script out Replication Objects using PowerShell - but that question was answered here already, on our very
Posted by Buck Woody | 1 Comments
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Wednesday, April 29, 2009 7:24 AM

Master Agent Servers

SQL Server has the ability to create a central location where you can push out certain SQL Agent Jobs to run on other servers. This feature is called a MSX/TSX arrangement, and it's been around for a while. In SQL Server 2005, you didn't want to use SQL
Posted by Buck Woody | 1 Comments
Tuesday, April 28, 2009 7:45 AM

Should You Auto-Start SQL Server Services?

It's a fairly common practice to set the SQL Server Services (Engine, Agent, OLAP, RS, etc.) to automatically start when the server does. But is this a good idea? I don't set my services to start automatically. If the server is unexpectedly rebooted,
Posted by Buck Woody | 1 Comments
Monday, April 27, 2009 6:50 AM

Quickly Locate Text in a Query Window in SSMS

Wow - long title.   Anyway, my good friend Bill Ramos and I were chatting just the other day. He's a the guy at Microsoft that took my old responsibilities for SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS), and we were swapping tips and tricks. He showed me
Posted by Buck Woody | 4 Comments
Friday, April 24, 2009 8:00 AM

Quote of the Day: Everybody Exaggerates all the time

"People who exaggerate just kill me." Dani Haviland
Posted by Buck Woody | 1 Comments
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Thursday, April 23, 2009 9:14 AM

I'll be at TechEd 2009

Normally the Technical Solution Provider (TSP) role I'm currently in does not do a lot of work outside of his or her territory. I'm dedicated to my clients here in Washington state, Alaska, Oregon and Idaho, so I spend a lot of time with them making sure
Posted by Buck Woody | 1 Comments
Wednesday, April 22, 2009 6:41 AM

Database Diagram Error "Cannot Create Objects"

If you've ever tried to design a new database diagram and gotten a "cannot create objects" error, you've probably noticed the correction steps to use the ALTER AUTHORIZATION statement to change the owner. This happens a lot to me - I'll be on
Posted by Buck Woody | 1 Comments
Tuesday, April 21, 2009 7:53 AM

Exam 70-432 TS: Microsoft SQL Server 2008, Implementation and Maintenance - My Notes as of 4/21/09

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.
Posted by Buck Woody | 1 Comments
Monday, April 20, 2009 7:54 AM

Listing the Central Management Servers Programmatically

I don't normally advocate hitting the system tables in any database with direct queries, preferring instead to use views or functions that the vendor provides. But so far I haven't been able to find the view or function that would return the list of servers
Posted by Buck Woody | 1 Comments
Friday, April 17, 2009 6:57 AM

Quote of the Day: Sometimes you just go for the ride...

This one is (not) an original. I made it when a team I was leading was complaining loudly that they didn't like the direction we were headed on a project, even though months earlier I had asked (in vain) for their input during the planning process: "When
Posted by Buck Woody | 2 Comments
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Thursday, April 16, 2009 7:41 AM

You have a Voice at Microsoft

When I was on the product team, I was asked by a few of you from time to time to make a change in SQL Server. Now that I'm in the field, I get asked to "chat with the development team" to make one change or another. But you actually have more
Posted by Buck Woody | 3 Comments
Wednesday, April 15, 2009 8:45 AM

Back to basics - Using another Default Filegroup

SQL Server uses the file system on a computer, just like all database platforms. Whenever you create a database, there are always at least two files that are created - one for the data (MDF files) and another for the logging function (LDF files). But
Posted by Buck Woody | 1 Comments
Tuesday, April 14, 2009 1:07 PM

Using WITH MIRROR to Copy Your Backups

The other day I chatted with a gentleman who needed a second copy of his backup for a remote reporting system. Most of us need a copy or two of the backups, sometimes for a reporting or development refresh, or sometimes we want a second copy for safety
Posted by Buck Woody | 1 Comments
Monday, April 13, 2009 8:57 AM

Run a SQL Server Command from PowerShell without the SQL Server Provider

Some folks don't have SQL Server 2008 installed - shame on you! If you're in that sad state, you can still run a query against a SQL Server. You will still need the client connection software installed on your system - you'll have that with any 2005 edition
Posted by Buck Woody | 1 Comments
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Friday, April 10, 2009 7:30 AM

Quote of the Day - On keeping money in perspective

"Money doesn't make you happy. I now have $50 million but I was just as happy when I had $48 million." - Arnold Schwarzenegger
Posted by Buck Woody | 1 Comments
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Thursday, April 09, 2009 8:30 AM

Slipstreaming SQL Server Installations and the SP1 Controversy

Yesterday, along with several hundred other folks, I told you that SQL Server 2008 Service Pack 1 was out, and where to download it. I also mentioned that one of the big advantages in it was that you could now do "slipstream" installations.
Posted by Buck Woody | 2 Comments
Wednesday, April 08, 2009 7:51 AM

SQL Server 2008 SP1 is Now Available

SQL Server 2008 Service Pack 1 is now available for download at the following location: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=66ab3dbb-bf3e-4f46-9559-ccc6a4f9dc19&displayLang=en As always, read the release notes before you install
Posted by Buck Woody | 1 Comments
Tuesday, April 07, 2009 5:36 AM

A Master Class in Sloppy Project Management

I was reading a story early this morning about a failed database project in the UK - and it was a big failure. The basic gist was that the project was managed badly - so badly that a Member of Parliment made the statement that "they delivered a master
Posted by Buck Woody | 1 Comments
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Monday, April 06, 2009 7:50 AM

A Web Based Search for Books Online

As many of you know, I used to work on documentation like whitepapers and Books Online for SQL Server. One of the main problems I've found with our documentation isn't that there is not enough content - we have over 65,000 pages in BOL alone - but that
Posted by Buck Woody | 1 Comments
Friday, April 03, 2009 6:08 AM

Quote of the Day: Talent and Genius

"Talent hits a target no one else can hit; genius hits a target no one else can see." - Arthur Schopenhauer
Posted by Buck Woody | 1 Comments
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Thursday, April 02, 2009 8:47 AM

Software Alert: ClearTrace

I ran across this package today: http://www.cleardata.biz/cleartrace/default.aspx I'm playing with it now. It basically reads a SQL Server Trace file and shows you the longer running processes so you can do more performance tuning. It's a freebie, and
Posted by Buck Woody | 2 Comments
Wednesday, April 01, 2009 7:43 AM

Daily DBA: Check Database Backups

From time to time I post some of the things I do to check my systems each day. Sometimes I use PowerShell, sometimes the Management Data Warehouse, and sometimes I use a Policy from Policy Based Management (PBM). For the backup checks, I use a combination
Posted by Buck Woody | 1 Comments
 
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