Databases

Kalen Delaney, Straight to Your Computer This week's virtual workshop is going to be very cool - Kalen Delaney will be teaching about Indexes - and it's going to be amazing!  Kalen is well known for her in-depth approach to teaching workshops, classes, pre-conference sessions and s...(more)

(Rafal Wozniak) This is a simple example of how to use xml serialization to make configuration files.

(Karim Ouda) This article provides performance tuning approaches, guidelines and tips for IBM WebSphere DataPower SOA Appliance, since performance is a key attribute for WebSphere DataPower it is very important to be able to tune the device to achieve expected performance results.

(BackyardHackMechanic) This article describes how to get more control over the XML output when using the FOR XML AUTO statement. For instance, when adding XML tags. This is instead of using the more difficult to understand FOR XML EXPLICIT statement. If you are about to deserialize an XML output for use in an application, you will perhaps find this information useful.

(Kalen Delaney) In my earlier post about the maximum number of row-overflow columns, I just got a comment from someone wanting to know WHY they couldn't get the number I reported� that is, 308 long varchar columns, of which 307 will be stored off page in row-overflow pages and one will be stored on the in-row data page. There are many reasons you might not be able to get the maximum, but 308 is the most! If you can only get 304, it might be because of other columns in the row that take up extra space. You can get the maximum number when all you have in the row is these row overflow columns. The byte usage is described in the referenced post.

One can enable caching for their reports in SSRS. When we do that, the data is then retrieved from the ReportServerTempDB instead of real time execution of the query. But there are things that you need to be aware of before you start caching the reports. The caches can only be expired based on elapsed time or a schedule i.e. if the underlying data has changed and a request is made to render the report and the elapsed time/schedule has not hit yet, the end users will get the cached data rather than the latest and greatest data from the database. This may or may not be an issue for your environment(s). Also, remember that in case the report has parameters, then a cached version of the report is created for each unique set of parameter values.

(Charles Hooper) In the earlier blog article, we saw how to:

(Marcin Policht) We have introduced the basic concepts of SQL Server 2008 and 2008 R2 (based on the November 2009 Community Technology Preview) Integration Services component, briefly describing its core features and primary characteristics that distingush it from its predecessors. That high-level overview was intended to help with a basic understanding of the technology and its intended use. Now we turn our attention to more specific implementation topics, starting with the initial setup and configuration.

(chet justice) I kept receiving this error recently but until today, never bothered to investigate it. To get around it, I would just comment out the bottom half (where the problem was) of the tnsnames file.

(Tanel Poder) In my Beyond Oracle Wait interface article I troubleshooted a test case where an execution plan somehow went �crazy� and started burning CPU, lots of logical IOs and the query never completed.

Today, I�m going to start writing about db2top command line options. There are many. I�ll start with -h (help) and -d (database). The -h option gives you the key to all the others:

(Karl E. Peterson) And now for something completely different. This column most frequently dwells on leveraging the Windows API to accomplish difficult tasks. Often that's the cleanest and quickest way. But then, sometimes, you realize that there's no need at all to mix in unneeded dependencies and the potential trouble they can bring with them.

(Robert Catterall) DB2 has been around for a long time (more than 25 years), and a lot of people who work with DB2 have been doing so for a long time (myself included). Many of the younger folks I meet who are professionally engaged in DB2-related activity are developers. Some of these who came to DB2 after working with other relational database management systems might have been initially confused on hearing their DB2-knowledgeable colleagues talk about SQL as being "embedded" or "static" or "dynamic." Waters may have been further muddied when familiar words such as "package," "collection," and "plan" took on unfamiliar meanings in discussions about DB2-based applications. Throw in a few terms like "DBRM" and "consistency token," and you can really have a DB2 newbie scratching his or her head. Of late, I've seen enough misunderstanding in relation to programming for DB2 data access. My hope is that this post will provide some clarity. Although I am writing from a DB2 for z/OS perspective, the concepts are essentially the same in a DB2 for Linux/UNIX/Windows environment (some of the terminology is a little different).

(Justin Etheredge) In .NET 4.0 we have several new collection types that have been introduced inside of the System.Collections.Concurrent namespace. The one that we are here to talk about today is the ConcurrentQueue. The ConcurrentQueue is a lock-free thread-safe implementation of the standard queue data structure. A queue is a data structure that has FIFO (First In First Out) semantics, and it has two main operations, enque and dequeue. Enque puts a new item at the end of the queue, and dequeue takes the item off the end of the queue.

(Buck Woody) When you manage a SQL Server Instance, you�re concerned with performance, maintenance and capacity. You want to know how well the system is operating within its hardware and software configuration.

(Joseph Johnson) Extensible Stylesheet Language (XSL) is an XML technology which is used to transform XML data. XML file can be used to set the ground-rules for a given body of data and to describe the data itself. XSL allows us to take that input XML data and convert it into information which can be displayed in a web browser window or opened with a text editor. It can also be used to create an XML file which is a modified version of an input XML file.

(AzamSharp) Validation is one of the most important aspects of an application. ASP.NET MVC framework provides multiple ways to validate the user input. In this article we are going to demonstrate how to perform validation in an ASP.NET application using Controller action, IDataErrorInfo and DataAnnotations methods.

(Scott Guthrie) This is the fifteenth in a series of blog posts I�m doing on the upcoming VS 2010 and .NET 4 release. Today�s post covers a nice addition to ASP.NET and Windows Forms with .NET 4 - built-in charting control support.

SQL Server newbies should be sure to take advantage of Microsoft's SQL Profiler tool, which can be used as sort of a network monitor for the database.

Kalen Delaney, Straight to Your Computer We're excited about this week's virtual workshop - Kalen Delaney will be teaching about Indexes - and it's going to be amazing!  Kalen is well known for her in-depth approach to teaching workshops, classes, pre-conference sessions and so much more.&nb...(more)

Before virtualizing SQL Server, have you addressed SQL Server support on virtual machines and available hardware resources? This tip outlines four key considerations.

Special: What *IS* the Virtual Conference? (By Popular Request) Several people wrote in to ask about the virtual conference to find out more about it.  Specifically, people were asking what a "session" was like and how it was different from a webinar or other sessions they may hav...(more)

What Are Your Big Challenges with SQL Server? We're putting together webcast, article, script and show plans for the next little bit and I thought I'd just post and ask directly - what types of information and what topics would be most helpful to your work? Are there areas with SQL Server that...(more)

Whether you've already implemented SharePoint, or are only preparing to, backup and recovery should be a priority. Discover how to use SharePoint's out of the box backup and restore capabilities to protect your data in case of calamity. This session will take a quick trip through the built in backup options available with SharePoint; suggest some tips, tricks, and best practices; and focus on some techniques concerning how to restore that data before disaster strikes. Presented by: CA Callahan Sponsored by: EMC (www.EMC.com)

Twitter has gotten so popular, even SQL Server is getting in on the act. Confused? Don't be. Check out this new tool for leveraging Twitter in the database.

Webcast Today - Avoiding a SharePoint Disaster Whether you've already implemented SharePoint, or are only preparing to, backup and recovery should be a priority. Discover how to use SharePoint's out of the box backup and restore capabilities to protect your data in case of calamity. This session ...(more)

It's critical to understand the effects XML shredding can have on your database environment before selecting a particular shredding approach.

Report Builder can be an extremely useful tool for generating reports in SSRS. This page provides resources on how to properly utilize all of its functionality.

Report Builder can be an extremely useful tool for generating reports in SSRS. This page provides resources on how to properly utilize all of its functionality.

This presentation introduces a new mechanism in SQL Server 2008 that can report on and enforce server states, using Policy Based Management. You will learn how this feature works, where you can apply it, and how it can save you time in managing your systems. You'll learn to run a compliance report across your SQL Server 2000, 2005 and 2008 systems and act on that report to find databases that are not backed up, naming standards that are not enforced and more. Presented by: Sarah Barela Sponsored by: Idera (www.Idera.com)

As databases continue to grow in size, the time it takes for backup and recovery grows in length of time. Attend this session and learn methods to minimize the time it takes for your backups to complete, as well as how to minimize the amount of time it takes to recover. Presented by: Thomas LaRock Sponsored by: BakBone Software (www.BakBone.com)

With failover clustering, data mirroring, peer-to-peer replication, and log shipping available there is an option or two for every scenario. While each technology has a place in the world, they aren't interchangeable and provide the greatest benefit when applied to the proper solution. A walkthrough of each of these technologies and where they fit in your environment. Presented by: Jason Strate Sponsored by: BakBone Software

Is TDE in SQL Server 2008 really the Holy Grail of database encryption features?

Too many installations of SQL Server Express can put your data at risk – especially if admins aren't aware of where those installations live.

A new download from Microsoft could make life easier for IT shops considering a database migration from MySQL to SQL Server.

A new download from Microsoft could make life easier for IT shops considering a database migration from MySQL to SQL Server.

Even when your gauge is complete, there are still a few tweaks to be made in the name of data visualization. Learn how to add the right finishing touches with Report Builder 3.0.

When working with gauges, three key components can influence the overall effectiveness of your reports. Understanding them can help you get the most out of Report Builder 3.0.

Report Builder 3.0 comes with several new data visualization features, including gauges for creating more effective reports with SQL Server Reporting Services.

Even when your gauge is complete, there are still a few tweaks to be made in the name of data visualization. Learn how to add the right finishing touches with Report Builder 3.0.

When working with gauges, three key components can influence the overall effectiveness of your reports. Understanding them can help you get the most out of Report Builder 3.0.

Report Builder 3.0 comes with several new data visualization features, including gauges for creating more effective reports with SQL Server Reporting Services.

SQL Server 2008 R2 will be released in two new editions, one of which has been dubbed Parallel Data Warehouse. But should organizations care?

Customers can now upgrade their CTP accounts to new paid subscriptions of Microsoft's cloud-based database service.

Text data sources are among the most common sources used with SQL Server Integration Services. Understanding how they work can help you avoid falling into the usual traps. Click for full size

No matter how much we prepare, when disaster strikes we all feel a moment of panic. For some that panic quickly passes as we get down to work to fix the problem. For others the panic continues to grow as we search for a solution. Of course back up is crucial, but in this session Sarah will provide useful real world best practices that will show how to recover from disaster and more importantly how to prepare for the inevitable. Specifically how to recover from common disaster scenarios. For example, what to do when the master database is corrupt, a drive array with half your database files fails, a hardware failure, a SQL injection attacks wipes out whole tables and many more. Presented by: Sarah Barela Sponsored by: BakBone Software (www.BakBone.com)

Before you say goodbye to 2009, take a look at the top-rated SQL Server tips of the year, with pointers on using functions like OPENROWSET and FILESTREAM, information on password cracking tools, and advice on a few DBA tasks that are wasting your time.

Cursors do indeed cause performance issues, but cursors are easy to correct. This session addresses the problem of cursors and then uncovers 7 common practices that are more costly than cursors Based on several years of consulting specializing in optimizing third-party ISV databases, the list of worst practices range from critical database design blunders to indexing errors to T -SQL faux pas�. Avoiding the blunders on this list will be the difference between a successful database project and a failure. Not to leave you in the dark, this session will contrast every evil practice with a best practice to solve the problem. Presented by: Paul Nielsen Sponsored by: Embarcadero (www.embarcadero.com)

How to manage the database Application Lifecycle. This session will discuss team-focused database development challenges, and will present tried and true methodologies for dealing with database development issues. This session is a must-attend for any database developer working in a team environment. Presented by: Ted Malone Sponsored by: Embarcadero (www.embarcadero.com)

With most SharePoint implementations storing critical business data, it is crucial that this data be protected and quickly restorable in the event of a disaster. Learn how utilizing Data Protection Manager 2007 as your backup/restore/disaster recovery solution provides a full-fidelity solution with granular control. We will walk you through the initial configuration of DPM as well as setting up a recovery farm. Presented by: Christopher Regan Sponsored by: EMC (www.EMC.com)

In this session we�ll review lessons learned and best practices when upgrading from previous versions of SQL Server to SQL Server 2008. In this session we�ll go through the changes to the installation and upgrade to SQL Server 2008. Also, how do you prepare for the upgrade? Do you install now or wait until later? Can your production database be upgraded in less time that it takes to complete this session? Presented by: Jason Strate Sponsored by: SSWUG