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• ISV Applications versus In-House Applications

  I’ve written a series on creating an “Application Profile” for your organization, which allows you to create a strategic plan on everything from Business Continuity to Disaster Recovery , but many of us just don’t have the time Read More... Posted Tuesday, August 10, 2010 8:03 AM by BuckWoody | 0 Comments Filed under: Planning, SQL Server

• Permanent storage – a myth or a requirement?

  I'm looking over some data retention strategy documents for a company, I noticed that they want to keep some data "forever". Now, beyond the quibble of determining how to store something for eternity, how permanent can data really be? There are atomic Read More... Posted Thursday, August 05, 2010 8:12 AM by BuckWoody | 0 Comments Filed under: Data, SQL Server

• PowerShell for the DBA: Search the Windows Event Logs for Errors

  This is a very simple script - but it's one I run each morning. It searches the Windows System Event Log for an error condition. You can replace "System" here with "Application" or "Security", or any of the other logs that are created on your Windows Read More... Posted Wednesday, August 04, 2010 7:43 AM by BuckWoody | 1 Comments Filed under: Monitoring, PowerShell, Scripts, SQL Server, Troubleshooting

• Schemas as Security Boundaries

  There was a question yesterday on Twitter (hashtag #sqlhelp) wondering how to let developers create stored procedures and then grant the rights to those procedures to other people. I believe that question got answered, but it also brought up the subject Read More... Posted Tuesday, August 03, 2010 7:00 AM by BuckWoody | 0 Comments Filed under: Schemas, Security, SQL Server

• Don’t mess with the system databases in SQL Server, or Error: 916

  Note: If you’re reading this more than a few months away from July of 2010, do more research. Never trust an old blog as gospel on anything, including my entries. Always refer to Books Online for the authoritative answer, and if it’s wrong, Read More... Posted Monday, August 02, 2010 7:41 AM by BuckWoody | 7 Comments Filed under: Security, SQL Server

• Just how permanent does that data need to be?

  As data professionals, we plan for things. We plan for growth, we have a disaster-recovery plan, we have a plan for consolidation. Those are all good things. But I've seen very few shops that have a good data retention plan . This is a plan that basically Read More... Posted Thursday, July 29, 2010 6:23 AM by BuckWoody | 0 Comments Filed under: Planning, SQL Server

• The TechNet Wiki and Updated Security Checklists

  You're probably familiar with a Wiki - a document set that anyone can edit. Did you know TechNet (Microsoft's source for technical professionals) has one? And did you know there are lots of folks keeping it up to date? Well, Rick Byham, one of my friends Read More... Posted Tuesday, July 27, 2010 7:18 AM by BuckWoody | 1 Comments Filed under: Checklists, Security, SQL Server

• Exploration and Understanding

  As most of you know, I tend to spend a little time on social networks like Twitter, FaceBook and LinkedIn. On one of those networks, Ken Simmons sent the following thought: “One hour sessions give you great ideas you can explore; full day sessions Read More... Posted Monday, July 26, 2010 7:49 AM by BuckWoody | 0 Comments Filed under: Conferences, SQL Server

• When you’re asking for help, make sure you explain what you’re trying to accomplish

  At some time, all of us need technical help with something. Whenever you do, make sure you try and frame the question not necessarily in terms of what you want to know, but what you're trying to do. Spending time on thinking through your questions will Read More... Posted Thursday, July 22, 2010 6:24 AM by BuckWoody | 0 Comments Filed under: Help, Questions, SQL Server

• Presentation Links: SQL Server Performance Tuning (Quest)

  I worked with a team of folks brought together by Quest software, and we presented multiple sessions on SQL Server Performance Tuning. Here are the links I mentioned during those presentations: Blitz! SQL Server Takeovers (Brent) You're minding your own Read More... Posted Wednesday, July 21, 2010 3:54 AM by BuckWoody | 1 Comments Filed under: Conferences, Link Lists, Links, SQL Server

• PowerShell and Extended Properties

  I use Extended Properties on databases and their objects all the time. They are a great way to include information about the object – I use them for versioning the database, detailing what a column is used for and so on. They can be a little tricky Read More... Posted Tuesday, July 20, 2010 6:43 AM by BuckWoody | 0 Comments Filed under: PowerShell, Scripts, SQL Server

• Performance Monitor and Wait Events Presentation with Quest

  Quest Software is a great partner with Microsoft, and I’m honored to be able to present with Brent Ozar, Kevin Kline and Ari Weil at a day-long event that you can attend for free. We’re going to cover many aspects of performance tuning, from Read More... Posted Monday, July 19, 2010 7:41 AM by BuckWoody | 1 Comments Filed under: Conferences, Performance Tuning, SQL Server

• Side-By-Side Installations – What gets changed?

  I was asked yesterday if it was “OK” to install SQL Server 2008 R2 on a system that already had SQL Server 2008, but without upgrading. In other words, they wanted to keep both versions of SQL Server running at the different levels. That’s supported; Read More... Posted Thursday, July 15, 2010 7:06 AM by BuckWoody | 0 Comments Filed under: Installation and Upgrade, SQL Server

• Designing Dashboards

  Not all data professionals get into the "front end" of the applications that hit their data. But most of us end up having to do a "dashboard" of information, even if it's a dashboard of our system information and performance tracking. I do this quite Read More... Posted Wednesday, July 14, 2010 8:44 AM by BuckWoody | 1 Comments Filed under: Design, Links, SQL Server

• Cross-Pollination

  I was reading this post on J.D. Meier's Blog, which deals with the “cloud” (I really dislike that term) . You might wonder what that has to do with SQL Server, since it isn’t specifically about SQL Azure. I’ll come back to that in a moment. I play a little Read More... Posted Tuesday, July 13, 2010 6:10 AM by BuckWoody | 0 Comments Filed under: Career, Learning, Security, SQL Server