I know this is a repeat of the post form Dan but as he is on MSDN and I am on TechNet blogs I think it goes to a slightly different audience.  I was asked about schema design by Andy from BETT 2007 where we did technical support for the Microsoft stand Eileen blogged about it previously.

Andy asked about sample schemas that they could use as a teaching tool.  We have released a whole set of schemas for SQL Express.  There were 10 when I looked last.  These give you a starting point and to support this there is a Webcast tutorial for beginners.  Each schema can be viewed or downloaded.  As a starting point I think these are really useful.

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Eileen is looking to extend her team and is looking for two new IT Pro Evangelists to join us in the UK.  One of these will be a SQL Server/Business Intelligence person.  The details for the job are here.  What we are looking for is someone who is technical and can enthuse others about the technology.  So please upload your CV through the tool .  We get to meet and work with some brilliant people.

You can view the team here.

 

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It seems a strange question, last year we started  DesignIT this is a design competition.for charity.  Last year it was a great success the aim is to design a solution to benefit a charity in the UK.  We will make sure the winning design is implemented up to a value of £15,000.  A lot of you spend an enormous amount of time working for a charity.  With this competition you can help much more.  All you need to do is send us a system design that will improve the IT infrastructure of a charity.  The entries can be formal or a sketch and can include more than just Microsoft technologies.

The ten most innovative solutions will be turned into artwork, to be exhibited in a top London gallery.  The top five entries will be put to a public vote to establish the winner.  To view some examples of DesignIT submissions look here.  To find out how to enter the competition  follow the link.  If you don't work with a charity you can still enter.  We have provided some real problems where you can provide the innovation.

This is a great way to highlight your favorite charity so have a go visit the site to register.

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Make your life easier with the sqlcmd tool in SQL Server 2005 that automates administration and maintenance via scripting. In this tip, you'll get five useful features and examples to execute sqlcmd commands, such as for utilizing and populating variables, improved error handling and restoring a database.

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Many SQL Server environments run DB2 servers, too, and often the two servers must be linked. Here's a step-by-step process that shows how to create a SQL Server linked server using Microsoft's DB2 driver, the OLE DB provider data access tools and the AS400 version of DB2.

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I've made several changes to my backup stored procedure, isp_Backup.  I fixed a few things and added some much needed features.  Here are all of my changes:

1. Fixed the retention code so that only those files that pertain to the type of backup are deleted.  I had previously decided that I wanted all files older than @retention to be deleted, however I've changed my mind due to requests from my blog readers.
2. Added support for database names with spaces, dashes, single quotes, and other annoying, special characters.
3. Added support for British date format.
4. Added feature for SQL Server 2005 to run a full backup if the transaction log chain is broken.  This starts the chain again.  If you run a transaction log backup on a database whose chain is broken, those transaction log backups are useless until a full backup is run.  I am unable to locate the necessary information in SQL Server 2000.  I've been told to locate the information in the msdb backup history tables, however no rows get put into these tables when the chain is broken.
5. Added feature to run a full backup when a differential or transaction log backup is attempted but no full backup has ever been run.  This situation throws an error, so it's better to just run the full backup rather than having failed jobs.
6. Added feature to run a full backup when last full backup is older than the create date or restore date of the database.  This is important on SQL Server 2000 instances where restores happen and a database with the same name existed before.  In that situation, no full backup has ever been made on the restored database yet the msdb backup history tables might contain rows pertaining to it due to using the same name. 

The last 3 changes were made to prevent job failures and for recoverability reasons. 

I have not gotten a chance to add code to check if a database is being log shipped by SQL LiteSpeed.  I haven't received any requests for this code nor do I have a situation like this where I work, so I've been avoiding this code change. 

Let me know if you'd like me to add any other features or if you find a bug.  After careful consideration of each, I'll make a decision whether or not to include them in the next version.

In the past I've embedded the code in my blog posts, however I'm now going to provide the script instead so that you get the formatted code.

To download the stored procedure, click here.

If you don't have SQL LiteSpeed installed, ignore the warnings in the output when creating this stored procedure.  They are warnings and not errors.  The stored procedure works with or without SQL LiteSpeed installed. 

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As a DBA, much of your focus is on tuning SQL Server for peak performance. But have you spent any time tuning the hardware that supports your SQL Server system? Are you using the optimal disk array configuration? Are the disk partitions aligned? This tip discusses how to get your hardware performance in top shape – whether the system is already in operation or it's a new setup.

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