If you’re a SQL Server Database Administrator and you don’t know what CHECKDB is then you need to stop whatever it is your are doing right now and read this. Seriously, just go ahead and do it now. It will only take you ten minutes to get to grips with the basics and it could [...]
Posts under ‘Administration’
The Politics of SQL Server Performance
Like most DBA’s I’m sure you often find yourself delivering information to the business concerning the performance of your SQL Server platform but have you ever stopped to consider the wider implications of your actions? As a SQL Server Database Administrator you are responsible for the overall health and well being of your SQL Server [...]
DBA Survival Skills – Think Defensively
No matter how much of a Super Hero DBA you consider yourself to be, I can guarantee you that there that there will come a time when you have to deal with either a disaster scenario or some form of mistake. Interestingly however, it is what happens next that separates the Pro’s from everyone else. Things can [...]
TLC and SQL Server Error Log Management
One of the very first tasks I like to do when presented with a new SQL Server Instance is to review what’s been happening of late in the SQL Server Error Log file. Doing so can often provide a quick insight into items that require my attention. It’s not uncommon to encounter backup failure messages, [...]
SQL Snippet: Who owns that SQL Server Job?
Here is a handy T-SQL script that will list all SQL Server Agent Job owners by job. From an administration perspective, this query can come in handy when you need to ensure/validate the job owners on your server. One common mistake that I have seen is that when a user creates a new SQL Server [...]
SQL Snippet: What SQL Server Agent Jobs were running at that time?
Here is a SQL Snippet that can be used to identify the SQL Server Agent Jobs that were running on a server at a particular point in time. This can come in very handy if you need to troubleshoot a performance issue after the fact and want to find out if there were any jobs [...]
SQL Server Essentials – Part 2: Why you should be using the FULL Recovery Model
In Part 1 of the “SQL Server Essentials” series we discussed the Database Administrator’s primary responsibility. Given that your data is so important, how can you manage and ensure it’s safekeeping? Should a data loss event occur, you want to be in a position to enable you to protect the majority, if not all, of [...]
SQL Server Essentials – Part 1: The Database Administrator’s Primary Responsibility
You’re busy coding away at your workstation when all of a sudden your manager walks over to you all excited and begins discussing with you, the details of this great new application your company has just aquired. It turns out that he wants you to look after and administer this newly aquired application platform, which [...]
SQL Server Reporting Services Tip: email subscription tweak
What’s the problem? How to configure SQL Server Reporting Services 2005 to permit users to assign the delivery email address for their own subscriptions. Why does SQL Server work this way? When you subscribe to a report, the e-mail delivery settings you work with vary depending on whether your Role includes the “Manage individual subscriptions” [...]
The Definitive Introduction to SQL Server Indexes
It normally is not my style to write a blog post solely about a particular article someone else has published. Typically I just go ahead and add quality resources to the SQL Server Resources area of this site that I have either found myself or had recommended to me. In this case however an exception [...]
