I recently assisted in migrating a very large system from SQL Server 2005 SP3 to SQL Server 2008 R2 SP1. The actual migration of the database went off without a hitch, but we soon encountered an odd error with the application querying a view over a linked server. The application was web-based and began throwing an …

Okay, I've had to call Helpdesk an embarrassing 8 times today because my PowerPivot upgrade is going horribly wrong and locking out my AD account that, admittedly, I use as a "service" account. I'm really left with no choice -- I'm only granted one account on this network. Restrictive networks are so …

Whether you use a Maintenance Cleanup Task as part of a SQL 2005 or 2008 Maintenance Plan, or script out your own cleanup t-SQL, you are probably using the xp_delete_file extended procedure. For quite a while, I've occasionally come across old TLog or backup files that were missed. Without questioning it, I would clean …

I'm currently working on a project where I need to quickly make pretty graphs and charts for data in small but important SharePoint lists. After looking through a number of books and consulting with my SharePoint buddies, PowerPivot for SharePoint 2010 seems to be the best tool for the job. Getting it to work hasn't …

I hope I never have to use this article, but if I do, it will be a lifesaver. Check out Paul Randal's post on recovering a SUSPECT database that's been detached. He shows not only how to corrupt a database whilst keeping it functional, he also shows just why detaching a SUSPECT database is a horrible idea....and how …

This set of maintenance plans has been recommended by SQL Pros one too many times to ignore. If you have a rather standard environment, check out Ola Hallengren's scripts for SQL Server Backup, Integrity Check, Index and Statistics Maintenance. Actually, if you have a pretty high end environment, you can explore it as …

I have a relational table in SQL Server that I access in SharePoint 2010 as an External Content Type. The table, disks, has an FK (serverID) that is associated with a PK in another table, servers, via an Association Operation. Once I create a list and add it to a webpage, I am unable to select the serverID column or …

Recently, I worked with a client who uses block level replication software (think XOSoft/ArcServ) for their clustered SQL Server databases. During proactive testing one night, replication was broken and the failover server was brought up. For the first time in years, the procedure failed and the primary application …

One of the biggest annoyances of SharePoint 2007 was the lack of a native ability to work directly with SQL Server tables. SharePoint 2010 has addressed that issue with External Content Types. ECT's combine the best of both worlds -- you can modify and manage tables as usual in SQL Server, and display them (somewhat) …

Recently, I had a database go into the dreaded SUSPECT mode after a failed byte-level replication. Once I brought it into EMERGENCY mode, an unknown, automated program immediately connected to it from several different servers. Killing the connections and setting the db to single-user mode only created more headaches …