I’ve just released three new scripts of my “sys2” script collection that can be found on CodePlex: Project Page: http://sys2dmvs.codeplex.com/ Source Code Download: http://sys2dmvs.codeplex.com/SourceControl/changeset/view/57732 The three new scripts are the following sys2.database_backup_info.sql sys2.query_memory_grants.sql ...

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 Server. This is run at the server, since I have each server check itself and make a file of ...

One interesting observation that may help developers get convinced that they should parametrize query and that they must check that the ORM they use does it correctly is show how much memory can be wasted by plans that cannot be effectively reused. The following query can help on this: with cte as (     select ...

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 to set, but it’s really not bad once you learn how.  Ken Simmons, a SQL Server MVP ...

Someone contacted me yesterday and said they were getting blocked when they tried to create a FileStream data column type. On investigation, I found they were Mirroring that database – and the two aren’t compatible. Which got me to thinking – it’s probably a good idea to make a “check script” as you investigate tacking on a new feature, column ...

SQL Server used to have  cool little tool that would let you track your licenses. Microsoft didn’t use it to limit your system or anything, it was just a place on the server where you could put that this system used this license key. I miss those days – we don’t track that any more, and I want to make sure I’m up to date on my licensing, so I ...

Once upon a time it was 2004, and I wrote what I have to say was a pretty cool little script. (Yes, I know the post is dated 2006, but that's because I dropped the ball and failed to back-date the posts when I moved them over here from my prior blog space.) The impetus for creating this script was (and is) simple: Changing keys can be a painful ...

I read this interesting article on using PowerShell and the registry, and thought I would modify his information a bit to list the SQL Server Instances on a box. The interesting thing about listing instances this was is that you can touch remote machines, find the instances when they are off and so on. Anyway, here’s the scriptlet I used to find ...

I'm working on a PowerShell script to show me the trending durations of my backup activities. The first thing I need is the data, so I looked at the Standard Reports in SQL Server Management Studio, and found a report that suited my needs, so I pulled out the script that it runs and modified it to this T-SQL Script. A few words here - you need ...

Using the Server Management Objects (SMO) library, you don’t even need to have the SQL Server 2008 PowerShell Provider to read the SQL Server Error Logs – in fact, you can use regular old everyday PowerShell. Keep in mind you will need the SMO libraries – which can be installed separately or by installing the Client Tools from the SQL Server ...