SQLKitten

Cannot drop the database because it is being used for replication – the Right Fix and the Long Way

Posted on January 27, 2016 | 2 Comments

One of the things I am still trying to get past when it comes to writing about tech is the fact that I can’t always be completely original. I can write about different experiences and scripts but in many cases someone will have already written about the same thing. Part of tech blogging is realizing that even if someone else has already written about something you want to write about WRITE ABOUT IT ANY WAY. Maybe you had a task that was slightly different from what others have written about or maybe you can embellish on something they left out. Bottom line, you can be creative and reach people.

Another part of tech blogging is the fact that sadly there are people blogging about the wrong other ways to resolve certain issues. Your parents told you not to believe everything you read on the internet – are they liars or is that “expert” telling you the best way to do backups is with maintenance plans the one serving up the bull?

I had been asked to detach a database. The person doing it couldn’t and tossed it to me. Cool. No big deal. Then I ran the script to detach and got the error message 3724 – Cannot drop the database because it is being used for replication.

Well, isn’t that special.

Was there replication? Yes. Were there any publications associated with this database? There used to be but not any more (at least not visible at the publisher server in SSMS). There were some other issues that needed resolving but those had nothing to do with this situation. I pop over to my other screen and start looking for the right scripted solution (I figure I will have to do this again so better that I save it off to a script with some notes).

First, I want to show that the database is enabled for replication – sp_helpreplicationdb is going to give me this information.

Ok. Now what?

Based on the results from sp_helpreplicationdb , I now have confirmation that my database is at least enabled for replication. The next thing I need to do is turn off replication for this database with sp_removedbreplication.

Fixed – WITH ONE LINE OF CODE!!!

After ran this I was able to detach the database. And all was right with the world. On Saturday night. Did I mention this was on Saturday night? I’m a party animal.

Anyways, back to the tale of the long way to do this…after my search I had opened a few of the results in new tabs in my browser. One of them was here. After a little more searching based on this link I had what I needed with the right syntax. I resolved the issue but when I was done I still had to go back and close the new tabs I had just opened. It was then that I saw a completely different solution. While this other solution may have allowed you to drop the database, it required far more steps than the one I presented above. Also, in my case, I did not want to drop the database, just detach it. Restoring the database from a backup that contains no data wipes out my database, and was not part of the requirement. So essentially, to be able to detach the database I would have to run sp_helpreplicationdb and sp_removedbreplication OR I would have to take a backup, validate that all the data that was needed was in the backup, create the other database, backup that database, copy the backup file, restore the backup with replace over the database I am trying to drop, and then detach or drop the database. In this case, the desired end result was to migrate the database files to a new server and attach them. This would be changed to restoring from the backup of the original database. If you have a case where you are having to do this for multiple databases, this would be multiplied.

Frustrated after finding this, I took to twitter.

Always interesting to find a blog post with a bassakwards, heavy handed answer to a SQL problem with the right solution in the comments.

— Amy (@texasamy) January 24, 2016

I decided I would do the right thing and give the internet one more page with the RIGHT SOLUTION. While we can’t stop people from posting the longer, less practical solutions to things we can post the right ones and keep posting them.

They might have a few pieces of candy left.

Now that we have established the internet lies to you, go call your mother.

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Posted in Uncategorized

T-SQL Tuesday #73 – Those Darn Elves

Posted on December 8, 2015 | Leave a comment

Since I have not blogged in a while, and I saw it was T-SQL Tuesday, I thought I would participate in this FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER! This month SQLBalls asks us if our SQL Servers are on the naughty or nice list. Since I have recently transitioned to a new role, I am still getting familiar with the servers and the environments I am working with. The servers of my past are but a memory, but a fresh one. I cannot even begin to think of all the different “naughty” things that were done on those servers, and how some days it felt like a losing battle. How can you fight a security or code change when you have been over ridden by management, only to have that change come back and bite you weeks or months later? The “I told you so” you might feel like popping off will fall on deaf ears and you will just be stuck fixing the problem…until it gets to be too much and you decide it is time for action.

I have done this before. The day had been a long one and I thought I was finally going home when I got drug into a call on a data issue – something was changed that shouldn’t have been. When and by whom? I didn’t know or have any way of finding this information (days later when I tried to get a backup that was several months old to validate this data from when it was deployed; there was no backup – all all – but that is a completely different issue for another time). I had my suspicions but no proof. Could have been a naughty developer elf logging in with an elevated SQL account they knew the password for. Changing the password? “Out of the question” they say. It is everywhere.

If this were the only event that had happened THAT DAY. It wasn’t. This one was production (hence the conference call). The others (yes, more than one) were pre-production. Messes that had to be cleaned up because the developer elves thought they knew better than the DBA and that they could do it on their own. This production issue was the last straw. Elves were running a muck and had to be reigned in, and they weren’t going to like it.

All the elevated permissions in the pre-production servers – gone. I didn’t care if it was a DEV server. Am I the meanest DBA in the world? So says some. Scrooge? Well, if you are into name calling and want to go there, then ok, but I get to call you names too. In this case I did not care – I was fixing things that were only broken because someone abused a privilege. It should also be said that there was some relation in the names off all the tables involved with all the issues that occurred on this day.

If I had to wag my finger and any naughty part of the SQL Server instances it would have to be at security…and I am partially to blame. It can be difficult to keep up with all the changes that happen across a large environment when it comes to assigning permissions, and if you have more than one DBA, the situation is compounded by the fact that you might not always know what the other is doing and vice versa. They might grant something that you would otherwise veto for cause. You might take care of a permissions issue one way when they would handle it differently.

While I worked on some Powershell code to pull back users from specific AD groups and incorporate alerts for some of those groups, sadly the bandwidth was not there to fully roll this out. I did however create some triggers that would send email alerts when a change was made at the server and database levels, and I made them nameless and encrypted.

/*************ALERTS FOR SERVER ROLES***************/
ALTER TRIGGER [ ] ON ALL SERVER
WITH execute as &#039;sa&#039;,encryption
FOR ADD_SERVER_ROLE_MEMBER
AS 
BEGIN

DECLARE @event XML, @rolename VARCHAR(50),@user_added VARCHAR(50),@adding_user VARCHAR(50)
,@mailbody VARCHAR(8000)
,@mailsubject VARCHAR(200)
,@servername VARCHAR(50)

SET @event = EVENTDATA()
SELECT @rolename = @event.value(&#039;data(/EVENT_INSTANCE/RoleName)[1]&#039;, &#039;SYSNAME&#039;)
,@user_added = @event.value(&#039;data(/EVENT_INSTANCE/ObjectName)[1]&#039;, &#039;SYSNAME&#039;)
,@adding_user = @event.value(&#039;data(/EVENT_INSTANCE/LoginName)[1]&#039;, &#039;SYSNAME&#039;)

SET @servername = @@SERVERNAME
SET @mailsubject = &#039;USER ADDED TO ROLE - &#039;+@servername
SET @mailbody = &#039;The following change has been made to the &#039;+@rolename+&#039; on &#039;+@servername+&#039;:&#039;+CHAR(13)+CHAR(10)
+&#039;User Added: &#039;+@user_added+CHAR(13)+CHAR(10)
+&#039;Added by: &#039;+@adding_user+CHAR(13)+CHAR(10)

EXEC msdb.dbo.sp_send_dbmail
 @profile_name = &#039;DBMailProfile&#039;,
 @recipients = &#039;alert@yourcompany.com&#039;,
 @body = @mailbody,
 @subject = @mailsubject;

END


/*************DATABASE LEVEL ALERTS**************/
CREATE TRIGGER [ ] ON ALL SERVER
WITH execute as &#039;sa&#039;,encryption
FOR DDL_DATABASE_SECURITY_EVENTS
AS 
BEGIN

DECLARE @event XML, @rolename VARCHAR(50),@user_added VARCHAR(50),@adding_user VARCHAR(50)
,@mailbody VARCHAR(8000)
,@mailsubject VARCHAR(200)
,@servername VARCHAR(50)
,@event_type varchar(100)
,@database varchar(50)
,@datetime varchar(100)
,@command varchar(4000)

SET @event = EVENTDATA()
SELECT @adding_user = @event.value(&#039;data(/EVENT_INSTANCE/LoginName)[1]&#039;, &#039;SYSNAME&#039;)
,@event_type = @event.value(&#039;data(/EVENT_INSTANCE/EventType)[1]&#039;, &#039;SYSNAME&#039;)
,@database = @event.value(&#039;data(/EVENT_INSTANCE/DatabaseName)[1]&#039;, &#039;SYSNAME&#039;)
,@servername = @event.value(&#039;data(/EVENT_INSTANCE/ServerName)[1]&#039;, &#039;SYSNAME&#039;)
,@datetime = @event.value(&#039;data(/EVENT_INSTANCE/PostTime)[1]&#039;, &#039;SYSNAME&#039;)
,@command = @event.value(&#039;data(/EVENT_INSTANCE/TSQLCommand/CommandText)[1]&#039;, &#039;SYSNAME&#039;)

SET @servername = @@SERVERNAME
SET @mailsubject = &#039;DATABASE SECURITY CHANGE - &#039;+@servername
SET @mailbody = &#039;The following change has been made to the &#039;+@database+&#039; database on &#039;+@servername+&#039;:&#039;+CHAR(13)+CHAR(10)
+&#039;Change Made By: &#039;+@adding_user+CHAR(13)+CHAR(10)
+&#039;Event Type: &#039;+@event_type+CHAR(13)+CHAR(10)
+&#039;Server Name: &#039;+@servername+CHAR(13)+CHAR(10)
+&#039;Database Name: &#039;+@database+CHAR(13)+CHAR(10)
+&#039;Date/Time: &#039;+@datetime+CHAR(13)+CHAR(10)
+&#039;SQL Statement: &#039;+@command+CHAR(13)+CHAR(10)

EXEC msdb.dbo.sp_send_dbmail
 @profile_name = &#039;DBMailProfile&#039;,
 @recipients = &#039;alert@yourcompany.com&#039;,
 @body = @mailbody,
 @subject = @mailsubject;


END

/*************ALERTS FOR SERVER ROLES***************/

ALTER TRIGGER [ ] ON ALL SERVER

WITH execute as 'sa',encryption

FOR ADD_SERVER_ROLE_MEMBER

BEGIN

DECLARE @event XML, @rolename VARCHAR(50),@user_added VARCHAR(50),@adding_user VARCHAR(50)

,@mailbody VARCHAR(8000)

,@mailsubject VARCHAR(200)

,@servername VARCHAR(50)

SET @event = EVENTDATA()

SELECT @rolename = @event.value('data(/EVENT_INSTANCE/RoleName)[1]', 'SYSNAME')

,@user_added = @event.value('data(/EVENT_INSTANCE/ObjectName)[1]', 'SYSNAME')

,@adding_user = @event.value('data(/EVENT_INSTANCE/LoginName)[1]', 'SYSNAME')

SET @servername = @@SERVERNAME

SET @mailsubject = 'USER ADDED TO ROLE - '+@servername

SET @mailbody = 'The following change has been made to the '+@rolename+' on '+@servername+':'+CHAR(13)+CHAR(10)

+'User Added: '+@user_added+CHAR(13)+CHAR(10)

+'Added by: '+@adding_user+CHAR(13)+CHAR(10)

EXEC msdb.dbo.sp_send_dbmail

@profile_name = 'DBMailProfile',

@recipients = 'alert@yourcompany.com',

@body = @mailbody,

@subject = @mailsubject;

END

/*************DATABASE LEVEL ALERTS**************/

CREATE TRIGGER [ ] ON ALL SERVER

WITH execute as 'sa',encryption

FOR DDL_DATABASE_SECURITY_EVENTS

BEGIN

DECLARE @event XML, @rolename VARCHAR(50),@user_added VARCHAR(50),@adding_user VARCHAR(50)

,@mailbody VARCHAR(8000)

,@mailsubject VARCHAR(200)

,@servername VARCHAR(50)

,@event_type varchar(100)

,@database varchar(50)

,@datetime varchar(100)

,@command varchar(4000)

SET @event = EVENTDATA()

SELECT @adding_user = @event.value('data(/EVENT_INSTANCE/LoginName)[1]', 'SYSNAME')

,@event_type = @event.value('data(/EVENT_INSTANCE/EventType)[1]', 'SYSNAME')

,@database = @event.value('data(/EVENT_INSTANCE/DatabaseName)[1]', 'SYSNAME')

,@servername = @event.value('data(/EVENT_INSTANCE/ServerName)[1]', 'SYSNAME')

,@datetime = @event.value('data(/EVENT_INSTANCE/PostTime)[1]', 'SYSNAME')

,@command = @event.value('data(/EVENT_INSTANCE/TSQLCommand/CommandText)[1]', 'SYSNAME')

SET @servername = @@SERVERNAME

SET @mailsubject = 'DATABASE SECURITY CHANGE - '+@servername

SET @mailbody = 'The following change has been made to the '+@database+' database on '+@servername+':'+CHAR(13)+CHAR(10)

+'Change Made By: '+@adding_user+CHAR(13)+CHAR(10)

+'Event Type: '+@event_type+CHAR(13)+CHAR(10)

+'Server Name: '+@servername+CHAR(13)+CHAR(10)

+'Database Name: '+@database+CHAR(13)+CHAR(10)

+'Date/Time: '+@datetime+CHAR(13)+CHAR(10)

+'SQL Statement: '+@command+CHAR(13)+CHAR(10)

EXEC msdb.dbo.sp_send_dbmail

@profile_name = 'DBMailProfile',

@recipients = 'alert@yourcompany.com',

@body = @mailbody,

@subject = @mailsubject;

END

The lack of a name for each of these is intentional, as is the encryption. The last thing I wanted was someone seeing these ans what they were doing, and if they had permissions to do so, disabling or dropping them to avoid having their nefarious behavior tracked. Even better would have been to put additional triggers in place to prevent the dropping of these no matter what, but I decided not to go there.

Note there is nothing there for the name for each of these – this is courtesy of the devious mind of Rob Volk. He might have too much time on his hands but this is pretty darn crafty. What you name these triggers is up to you but you have to MAKE NOTE OF WHAT THE NAME ARE!!! When I did these they were a combination of a few tabs and spaces – like “space space space tab tab” but with those actual characters. The result looks like this:

It should go without saying use this code at your own risk and always thoroughly vet and test anything before applying it to a production environment.

If this helps further cement my meanest DBA creds then I guess I am doing it right. Sometimes the elves developers can get out of hand and it is up to Santa the DBA to make sure they know they are being watched.

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Posted in Challenges, SQL PASS, SQL Server, T-SQL Tuesday, Uncategorized

Tagged DBA, security, sqlpass, SQLSaturday, sqlserver, tsql2sday

My First Time Submitting to SQL PASS Summit – Part 1

Posted on March 20, 2015 | 2 Comments

I have now officially submitted to SQL PASS Summit 2015. Five sessions. All me (well, and a few others on the panel I submitted). The hard part is over…but how did this all happen?

My story starts back in the year 2013. My first time to attend a SQL PASS Summit. It was in Charlotte, NC. I didn’t know these were normally in Seattle. It didn’t really seem to matter too much either. I was a first timer. And they labeled me as such.

I didn’t mind. I knew I was a newb. I embraced it. I signed up for and watched the webinar for first timers put on by Denny Cherry. I also got a first timer buddy (aka Someone I can follow around like a puppy until I am comfortable enough and have found other suitable, like minded, people that will welcome me and allow me to accompany them to places that sell beer).

I met so many new people while at Summit that year and out of all the conferences I had been to in the past, this was by far the best experience I had ever had. One this that happened numerous times when talking to people was hearing the words “Have you thought about presenting?” I’m all “Wow…these people are nice…and encouraging…wait…presenting? Say what?”

Did they need fresh meat? A new crop of willing yet unsuspecting folks to throw their hat in the ring, to hopefully be selected, and dive head first off that cliff into something that might become an obsession that would challenge them in ways they had never thought of before? Maybe. Maybe they did. Maybe it was a little cultish. Well, pass the kool-aid.

I came home and gave it some thought. I really wanted to do this but did not know where to start. I felt like I had stuff to say. Stories to tell. Experiences to share. But where to start? I decided I would do a panel. I rounded up some experienced speakers for a particular SQL Saturday, created my session and submitted it. That was the easy part. I then decided we would have weekly internet video chats so that everyone could get acquainted, and I could get their take on how they saw the panel going. They were also able to provide me much needed guidance with my slide deck (something else I had never done before) and how the session needed structure. I took all this in and did my slides accordingly.

The time finally came for the SQL Saturday event and my panel session. I made the trip out there and met up with everyone. I attended my very first speaker dinner. I could not believe I was there and in the same room with some of the brightest and well known minds in the SQL community. This was it – my first taste of what would consume that entire year.

The panel went well. My fellow panelists and other patted me on the back for a job well done. Feedback was good. I was elated. I was hooked. I thought I was ready to handle what was up next – my first solo session. Just me and my slides. Another SQL Saturday. Another city.

To be continued…

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Posted in SQL PASS, SQL PASS Summit, SQL Saturday, SQL Server, Uncategorized

Tagged billfellows, dennycherry, sqlfamily, sqlpass, sqlpasssummit, SQLSaturday, sqlserver, summit13, summit15

Code Upload – Pragmatic Works webinar

Posted on March 19, 2015 | Leave a comment

For those that attended my webinar last week with Pragmatic Works I have uploaded the code…finally. For what it is worth, the weekend was busy and I was working on my SQL PASS Summit submissions. Then, just as I was getting this together on Monday night, I was not feeling right and realized I was making mistakes and that is no good. Tried to go to work on Tuesday but even they knew something was wrong with me. Went home and found out later my nephew was also sick. No need for any further details. Just trying to get better. Thanks for your patience. 🙂

Download Now!

The lovely people at Pragmatic Works sent me some of your questions from the webinar. Without further adieu…

Do you have a suggestion for BEGINNERS learning books to get a basic understanding of PS??

Great question! While I have a TON of books on all kinds of things (SQL Server, C#, web dev stuff, etc.) I do not have a single book on Powershell. How did I accomplish all this then? Simple – using this pesky thing we call the internet. I have also attended some great Powershell sessions at SQL Saturday events.

Did they leave any beer bottles?

The roofers? Thankfully no.

Do not criticize the king of soda pop, Dr. Pepper!

Preach it!

When will VBScript stop functioning for SQL Server or Windows Server. As in will there be a total switch?

VBScript? Hmmmm…great question. No clue. This might be a Microsoft cockroach. Like replication.

why we need a PS-Drive – why we can just use an arraay directly?

You mean passing in the server name from the array to the Invoke-SqlCmd? Yeah, you could do that. That’s just not how I wrote this. 🙂

what is her email again?

Leave a comment here if you would like to email me and I will get back to you.

does the ( $servers | Measure-Object).count syntax do?

That counts the number of items in the array.

What is the purpose of the New-PSDrive?

New-PSDrive is a method of connecting to a SQL Server instance. Another method would be to declare a connection with SMO (Server Management Objects).

Does it work on windows 2003 as well?

I have not tested this against Windows Server 2003.

so, ps-drive is the equivalent of object explorer in SSMS?

Well, kinda. Maybe. More the equivalent of browsing a drive in a cmd.exe window.

what city in Austin?

Ummmm….Austin is a city.

What permission you require on AD for this excercise

To make the AD changes, I have no clue. Not my area and I also intentionally created the Azure VM so I could make all the changes I needed to without worrying about a silly thing like permissions. As far as reading from AD (which is the main Powershell script for this part) I am not sure about this either but I am assuming you need some level of read permissions (which is all that script is doing).

There are some things where I may tend to run something, and if anyone says anything, ask forgiveness later. Security is pretty tight where I am – I have gotten dinged on xp_cmdshell but so far nothing on reading from AD. If for some reason you can’t run anything against AD, I would find the person over that and find out why, and let them know what you are trying to do.

Thanks again to everyone who attended. If you have any other questions leave a comment. 🙂

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Posted in Powershell, SQL PASS, SQL Saturday, Uncategorized

Tagged activedirectory, database administration, powershell, pragmaticworks, SQLSaturday, sqlserver

3/12 – Webinar : Beginning Automation with Powershell

Posted on February 24, 2015 | 9 Comments

Anything I can do to reduce the time I have to spend dealing with otherwise time-sucking tasks gives me a happy. Currently, where I am, I have reduced our daily deployment process to a single Powershell cmdlet with a log file review. All the steps that normally went into each deployment (applying SQL scripts, data updates, updating the TFS task, sending an email that the deployment is done) are handled by Powershell, and the process accepts multiple deployments at the same time. As long as there are no errors in the log file for a deployment, there is nothing more to do. There’s an error? Run the same cmdlet with the rollback option.

I am still working on improving this process, from trying to get the error handling to work the way I want it to, to incorporating the automation of check-in to source control of the changes that were just applied. It is a work-in-progress that will continue to reduce the amount of time spent on what would otherwise be manual tasks.

This work led me to the idea for a session on Powershell and automation of processes. Join me and Pragmatic Works on Thursday, March 12th from the comfort of your own desk at 11am EST/10am CST for Beginning Automation with Powershell. This demo-heavy session will go over some different Powershell cmdlets and automation concepts that you can take and build upon in your own environment. Powershell is a tool that no DBA should work without. A development background is helpful but not necessary – what DBA would not want to spend a few hours writing code for a process that will save them from having to do a repetitive manual task over and over again? Automation frees up time for us to do other projects that we want to spend time on and grow our skill sets.

Have questions about this? Leave a comment below. See y’all there. 🙂

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Posted in Powershell, Uncategorized, Women In Technology

Tagged automation, database administration, DBA, powershell, pragmaticworks, sqlserver, webinar

#SQLSatPhoenix This Weekend!

Posted on February 23, 2015 | 1 Comment

Both the SQLSat Austin and Albuquerque events were great – now on to Phoenix. I will be giving two sessions there – Deadlock, Block & Two Smoking Barrels: Breaking Down Blocking and Deadlocks and Making the Leap from Developer to DBA.

The first of the two is a new session for me. When it comes to blocking and deadlocks, I like to be able to identify the cause (and sometimes the culprit) and have the information needed to resolve the issue. Some methods are easier, while with others, you also have to think about the footprint of the troubleshooting itself.

With Making the Leap from Developer to DBA, this session has evolved with time and my own experiences. Anyone who is looking to transition to being a DBA full time should attend to get a real-life perspective on migrating into this role and some of the things you can look forward to.

On top of all this, I have also been invited to be part of the WIT Panel. Come join my self and some other amazing women during lunch as we share and discuss confidence and our experiences in IT.

I’m looking forward to another great SQL Saturday as well as meeting everyone in Phoenix. See y’all there! 🙂

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Posted in Performance, SQL PASS, SQL Saturday, SQL Server, Uncategorized, Women In Technology

Tagged blocking, DBA, deadlocks, Developer, sqlsat358, sqlsat362, sqlsat370, sqlsatABQ, sqlsatAustin, sqlsatPhoenix, sqlserver, WIT

Have you tried restarting your computer SQL Server?

Posted on December 31, 2014 | Leave a comment

Everyone at one point or another has had this experience – you have to call technical support for assistance with your operating system or an application and get posed with the question “Have you tried restarting your computer?”

“Ummm…yeah. I did that. I also power-cycled my modem, searched the internet, hacked the registry and walked counter clockwise around my chair three times. I just thought I would call you to chat.”

Anyways…

Occasionally, the same logic is what is needed to resolve issues with SQL Server – restarting the SQL Server service. While we want to think that being on a fairly up-to-date version of SQL Server means things like this don’t happen, this is still software written by humans and every possible situation cannot be accounted for in testing. Sometimes you might find documentation that this is needed. Other times, the solution to the issue you are trying to solve is not as clear.

A couple of examples of a documented situation would be when updates to the server require a reboot or when a known issue in SQL Server is able to be immediately resolved by a restart of the service. Undocumented situations that can arise from different situations can range from changes to server settings that are not taking effect to changes in database mail. I have seen both of these situations in the past year – a server setting change was affecting replication (resolved by a restart) and database mail changes not taking effect, causing mail not to be sent and the mail queue to become backed up (another lesson learned here – after the restart of the service all those messages in the queue will be sent; if you don’t want this to happen the queue needs to be cleared out prior to restart).

Unlike rebooting a computer, restarting this service (or the server itself) is typically something that is done only where the circumstances dictate that it is required. Outside of this, restarting SQL Server is typically done as a last resort and is the last thing that the DBA might think to do. Depending on the server and the processes that communicate with the SQL Server instance, the business other resources may need to be not only notified of the restart, but also why it is needed in the first place. This is made more difficult by the fact that it may be unclear whether or not the restart will solve the problem at hand.

While it might not be documented that certain changes may require a service restart, that doesn’t mean that they don’t, and those situations can be difficult to identify. In these cases, all reasonable measures had been taken without yielding the desired results. Both cases involved changes to a SQL Server instance. Making the decision to restart in cases like this is not something that should be done flippantly, but where do you draw the line at time and effort spent before pulling the trigger? My experience with these issues will dictate how I handle similar cases going forward, but as for resolving issues that I have not had experience in dealing with yet, there very well may be more painful times…followed by sound of my head hitting the desk over and over out of frustration that the solution was something so simple.

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Posted in Challenges, SQL Server, Uncategorized

Tagged database administration, DBA, sqlserver

#Summit14 Recap…and other things

Posted on November 10, 2014 | 2 Comments

I just got back from another amazing SQL PASS Summit – this time in Seattle. This year was different in that I knew people going into Summit. Last year I only knew some folks from Dallas and the alumni I was paired up with, Bill Fellows. I met a ton of new people last year and got to reconnect with them this year, and make new friends as well.

This past year also gave me the opportunity to make new friends from all the SQL Saturday events I attended and had the privilege to speak at – Las Vegas, Houston, Oklahoma City, Baton Rouge, Kansas City, Denver, and next month, Washington DC. Never have I traveled so much before but it has been worth it. I have learned so much – not just about SQL Server, but also about speaking and sharing knowledge and experience with others.

One thing that I am still in awe of is the amount of “nerd celebrity” you will meet at SQL PASS Summit and the SQL Saturday events. I am one of those people who could care less about the idea of meeting the typical Hollywood celebs, but put me in front some of the people at PASS Summit and I am starstruck. All that brain power in one location is something awesome to behold. And the sessions aren’t bad either.

A few things to note…

Thanks to Matthew Brimer for the opportunity to attend the Brent Ozar pre-con with him. It was awesome!

Thanks to the Midnight DBA’s. They never fail to impress.

Thanks to all the sponsors that threw all the amazing parties. My liver also thanks you.

To Denny Cherry and the invention of Speaker Idol – what an opportunity for those presenting as well as those of us who were just there to watch. Great idea! Thanks for making this happen.

To all those that belted some tunes at the various #sqlkaraoke events – you were awesome but it is good you have your SQL Server careers to fall back on. 🙂

Finally, to my #sqlbitches – you know who you are. Keep it real, yo <insert secret hand gesture here>.

See y’all next year…if not before.

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Posted in SQL PASS, SQL Saturday, SQL Server, Uncategorized

Tagged billfellows, brentozar, matthewbrimer, midnightdba, sqlbitches, sqlkaraoke, sqlpass, sqlsat295, sqlsat300, sqlsat308, sqlsat309, sqlsat324, sqlsat331, sqlsat347, summit14

SQL Saturday #309 – Oklahoma City

Posted on August 23, 2014 | Leave a comment

It is my second time at the SQL Saturday in OKC and my first time speaking at it. For the people who attended my session on Beginning Automation with Powershell, thanks again for coming. I hope everyone enjoyed the session as much as I enjoyed giving it.

As promised, the code is available for download below. If you have any questions, leave a comment here or reach out to me on twitter.

Enter Password to Download:

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Posted in Powershell, SQL PASS, SQL Saturday, SQL Server, Uncategorized

Tagged powershell, sqlpass, sqlsat309, sqlsatokc, SQLSaturday, sqlserver

SQLSat#324 – Session Noms

Posted on August 3, 2014 | 2 Comments

Thanks to everyone who attended my sessions at SQL Satruday #324 in Baton Rouge. This was really a awesome event – thanks also to all the people that helped put it on and all the sponsors who helped make it happen.

I had a great time presenting and I think my demos went ok (for the first time ever doing demos). I also really appreciate the feedback since I want to keep on presenting. If you were in one of the sessions and have any further comments or questions feel free to leave a comment here and I will get back to you.

Also, I have gotten the scripts posted here and the download appears to be working now. Let me know if you have any questions about those. Enter the password below to access and download the scripts from Beginning Automation with Powershell.

Thanks again and see everyone next year!

Enter Password to Download:

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Posted in Powershell, SQL PASS, SQL Saturday, SQL Server, Uncategorized

Tagged powershell, sqlfamily, sqlpass, sqlsat324, SQLSatBR, SQLSaturday, sqlserver

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