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  • SQLAuthority News – Monthly list of Puzzles and Solutions on SQLAuthority.com

    - by pinaldave
    This month has been very interesting month for SQLAuthority.com we had multiple and various puzzles which everybody participated and lots of interesting conversation which we have shared. Let us start in latest puzzles and continue going down. There are few answers also posted on facebook as well. SQL SERVER – Puzzle Involving NULL – Resolve – Error – Operand data type void type is invalid for sum operator This puzzle involves NULL and throws an error. The challenge is to resolve the error. There are multiple ways to resolve this error. Readers has contributed various methods. Few of them even have supplied the answer why this error is showing up. NULL are very important part of the database and if one of the column has NULL the result can be totally different than the one expected. SQL SERVER – T-SQL Scripts to Find Maximum between Two Numbers I modified script provided by friend to find greatest number between two number. My script has small bug in it. However, lots of readers have suggested better scripts. Madhivanan has written blog post on the subject over here. SQL SERVER – BI Quiz Hint – Performance Tuning Cubes – Hints This quiz is hosted on my friend Jacob‘s site. I have written many hints how one can tune cubes. Now one can take part here and win exciting prizes. SQL SERVER – Solution – Generating Zero Without using Any Numbers in T-SQL Madhivanan has asked very interesting question on his blog about How to Generate Zero without using Any Numbers in T-SQL. He has demonstrated various methods how one can generate Zero. I asked the same question on blog and got many interesting answers which I have shared. SQL SERVER – Solution – Puzzle – Statistics are not Updated but are Created Once I have to accept that this was most difficult puzzle. In this puzzle I have asked even though settings are correct, why statistics of the tables are not getting updated. In this puzzle one is tested with various concepts 1) Indexes, 2) Statistics, 3) database settings etc. There are multiple ways of solving this puzzles. It was interesting as many took interest but only few got it right. SQL SERVER – Question to You – When to use Function and When to use Stored Procedure This is rather straight forward question and not the typical puzzle. The answers from readers are great however, still there is chance of more detailed answers. SQL SERVER – Selecting Domain from Email Address I wrote on selecting domains from email addresses. Madhivanan makes puzzle out of a simple question. He wrote a follow-up post over here. In his post he writes various way how one can find email addresses from list of domains. Well, this is not a puzzle but amazing Guest Post by Feodor Georgiev who has written on subject Job Interviewing the Right Way (and for the Right Reasons). An article which everyone should read. Reference: Pinal Dave (http://blog.SQLAuthority.com) Filed under: Pinal Dave, PostADay, Readers Contribution, Readers Question, SQL, SQL Authority, SQL Puzzle, SQL Query, SQL Scripts, SQL Server, SQL Tips and Tricks, SQLServer, T SQL, Technology

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  • SQL SERVER – Three Puzzling Questions – Need Your Answer

    - by pinaldave
    Last week I had asked three questions on my blog. I got very good response to the questions. I am planning to write summary post for each of three questions next week. Before I write summary post and give credit to all the valid answers. I was wondering if I can bring to notice of all of you this week. Why SELECT * throws an error but SELECT COUNT(*) does not This is indeed very interesting question as not quite many realize that this kind of behavior SQL Server demonstrates out of the box. Once you run both the code and read the explanation it totally makes sense why SQL Server is behaving how it is behaving. Also there is connect item is associated with it. Also read the very first comment by Rob Farley it also shares very interesting detail. Statistics are not Updated but are Created Once This puzzle has multiple right answer. I am glad to see many of the correct answer as a comment to this blog post. Statistics are very important and it really helps SQL Server Engine to come up with optimal execution plan. DBA quite often ignore statistics thinking it does not need to be updated, as they are automatically maintained if proper database setting is configured (auto update and auto create). Well, in this question, we have scenario even though auto create and auto update statistics are ON, statistics is not updated. There are multiple solutions but what will be your solution in this case? When to use Function and When to use Stored Procedure This question is rather open ended question – there is no right or wrong answer. Everybody developer has always used functions and stored procedures. Here is the chance to justify when to use Stored Procedure and when to use Functions. I want to acknowledge that they can be used interchangeably but there are few reasons when one should not do that. There are few reasons when one is better than other. Let us discuss this here. Your opinion matters. Reference: Pinal Dave (http://blog.SQLAuthority.com) Filed under: Pinal Dave, PostADay, Readers Contribution, Readers Question, SQL, SQL Authority, SQL Performance, SQL Puzzle, SQL Query, SQL Scripts, SQL Server, SQL Tips and Tricks, SQLAuthority News, SQLServer, T SQL, Technology

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  • Building a Student Storage server

    - by DobotJr
    I work for a school district. I've been put in charge of building a storage server for students. A place for them to work off of from school and home. My challenge is getting this to work from home. At school they login, authenticate, and they get a mapped drive to their folder on the server (S:\fileserver\studentname). My question is how can I make this available to students at home? The server is running Windows Server 2003 R1. I've got PHP, Apache, and MySQL working together. My idea is to write a script that will "crawl" through the directory containing all of the student folders, then create an instance of every file and folder in a MySQL DB. Create a login page that will use LDAP for authentication, and once they login to the server from home, they get a page with folders a files tied to their username. Has anyone out there ever put something like this together??

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  • Running an allocation simulation repeatedly breaks after the first run.

    - by Az
    Background I have a bunch of students, their desired projects and the supervisors for the respective projects. I'm running a battery of simulations to see which projects the students end up with, which will allow me to get some useful statistics required for feedback. So, this is essentially a Monte-Carlo simulation where I'm randomising the list of students and then iterating through it, allocating projects until I hit the end of the list. Then the process is repeated again. Note that, within a single session, after each successful allocation of a project the following take place: + the project is set to allocated and cannot be given to another student + the supervisor has a fixed quota of students he can supervise. This is decremented by 1 + Once the quota hits 0, all the projects from that supervisor become blocked and this has the same effect as a project being allocated Code def resetData(): for student in students.itervalues(): student.allocated_project = None for supervisor in supervisors.itervalues(): supervisor.quota = 0 for project in projects.itervalues(): project.allocated = False project.blocked = False The role of resetData() is to "reset" certain bits of the data. For example, when a project is successfully allocated, project.allocated for that project is flipped to True. While that's useful for a single run, for the next run I need to be deallocated. Above I'm iterating through thee three dictionaries - one each for students, projects and supervisors - where the information is stored. The next bit is the "Monte-Carlo" simulation for the allocation algorithm. sesh_id = 1 for trial in range(50): for id in randomiseStudents(1): stud_id = id student = students[id] if not student.preferences: # Ignoring the students who've not entered any preferences for rank in ranks: temp_proj = random.choice(list(student.preferences[rank])) if not (temp_proj.allocated or temp_proj.blocked): alloc_proj = student.allocated_proj_ref = temp_proj.proj_id alloc_proj_rank = student.allocated_rank = rank successActions(temp_proj) temp_alloc = Allocated(sesh_id, stud_id, alloc_proj, alloc_proj_rank) print temp_alloc # Explained break sesh_id += 1 resetData() # Refer to def resetData() above All randomiseStudents(1) does is randomise the order of students. Allocated is a class defined as such: class Allocated(object): def __init__(self, sesh_id, stud_id, alloc_proj, alloc_proj_rank): self.sesh_id = sesh_id self.stud_id = stud_id self.alloc_proj = alloc_proj self.alloc_proj_rank = alloc_proj_rank def __repr__(self): return str(self) def __str__(self): return "%s - Student: %s (Project: %s - Rank: %s)" %(self.sesh_id, self.stud_id, self.alloc_proj, self.alloc_proj_rank) Output and problem Now if I run this I get an output such as this (truncated): 1 - Student: 7720 (Project: 1100241 - Rank: 1) 1 - Student: 7832 (Project: 1100339 - Rank: 1) 1 - Student: 7743 (Project: 1100359 - Rank: 1) 1 - Student: 7820 (Project: 1100261 - Rank: 2) 1 - Student: 7829 (Project: 1100270 - Rank: 1) . . . 1 - Student: 7822 (Project: 1100280 - Rank: 1) 1 - Student: 7792 (Project: 1100141 - Rank: 7) 2 - Student: 7739 (Project: 1100267 - Rank: 1) 3 - Student: 7806 (Project: 1100272 - Rank: 1) . . . 45 - Student: 7806 (Project: 1100272 - Rank: 1) 46 - Student: 7714 (Project: 1100317 - Rank: 1) 47 - Student: 7930 (Project: 1100343 - Rank: 1) 48 - Student: 7757 (Project: 1100358 - Rank: 1) 49 - Student: 7759 (Project: 1100269 - Rank: 1) 50 - Student: 7778 (Project: 1100301 - Rank: 1) Basically, it works perfectly for the first run, but on subsequent runs leading upto the nth run, in this case 50, only a single student-project allocation pair is returned. Thus, the main issue I'm having trouble with is figuring out what is causing this anomalous behaviour especially since the first run works smoothly. Thanks in advance, Az

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  • can anyone have ADC Student Membership ?

    - by Sridhar
    Hi, I heard that ADC (apple developer connection) student membership allows to get the free ticket to WWDC 2010. Currently apple replaces the ADC with mac and that program wont allow for free ticket. Can anyone who wont go to WWDC but do have the ADC student membership, barrow their ticket :), I am out of funds actually. Thanks,

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  • SQLAuthority News – Pinal Dave: Blogger, MVP and now Interviewee by Michael J Swart

    - by pinaldave
    Michael J. Swart is a very unique person. I have often exchanged emails with him and also used a couple of his scripts in my presentations (with his permission). Every time I conduct spatial database presentation, I always start with his script where he has drawn the wonderful image of Botticelli’s Birth of Venus. I often think he is more of a creative artist than IT professional. However, if you read his blog posts and articles, they are top notch and each article is as creative as his caricatures. He is wonderful, inspiring, creative and most importantly, very humble. He recently took my interview and asked me some very interesting question. To answer his question, I had to share some of the interesting aspects of my life which I have had never shared in any interview before. He made me share the following interesting facts. Pinal Dave Caricatures Read my Interview Here are a few questions that I have answered at his blog: How I met my wife? Best moments of my life? How to pronounce my last name? Who inspired me? English as a Third Language. I am also thankful to Michael for drawing my caricature. I really liked it and I am very glad that he took time to do so. Reference: Pinal Dave (http://blog.SQLAuthority.com) Filed under: About Me, Pinal Dave, PostADay, Readers Question, SQL, SQL Authority, SQL Query, SQL Server, SQL Tips and Tricks, T SQL, Technology

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  • SQL SERVER – Interview Questions & Answers Needs Your Help

    - by pinaldave
    About an year ago, I had posted SQL Server related Interview Questions and Answers. It was very well received in community. I have received many comments, suggestions and emails on this subject. I am planning to upgrade the Interview Questions and Answers and take it to next level. Here, I need your help. Please your comments, suggestions, expectation or potential interview Question (along with answer) here. Your input will be very valuable. As time goes by we all learn and get better. There were few things missing at that time when those interview questions and answers were prepared, now is the time to complete the gap and make this interview questions more useful. If you know all, this Question and Answers are not for you. This are for those who is eager to learn and need help in the area. If you do not want to leave a comment, I suggest to send me email at pinal “at” SQLAuthority.com Following is the reproduction of original consolidation post for quick reference. SQL SERVER – 2008 – Interview Questions and Answers – Part 1 SQL SERVER – 2008 – Interview Questions and Answers – Part 2 SQL SERVER – 2008 – Interview Questions and Answers – Part 3 SQL SERVER – 2008 – Interview Questions and Answers – Part 4 SQL SERVER – 2008 – Interview Questions and Answers – Part 5 SQL SERVER – 2008 – Interview Questions and Answers – Part 6 SQL SERVER – 2008 – Interview Questions and Answers – Part 7 SQL SERVER – 2008 – Interview Questions and Answers – Part 8 Download SQL Server 2008 Interview Questions and Answers Complete List Reference : Pinal Dave (http://blog.SQLAuthority.com) Filed under: Pinal Dave, Readers Contribution, Readers Question, SQL, SQL Authority, SQL Documentation, SQL Download, SQL Interview Questions and Answers, SQL Query, SQL Server, SQL Tips and Tricks, T SQL, Technology

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  • Software/Hardware Development?

    - by SwarthyMantooth
    Sincere apologies if this is the wrong place to ask this. I am a computer engineering student and I'm currently on my first co-op of the required 5 I have to take, and I've noticed that all I'm really given is software engineering jobs. I love developing software, but I don't want to lose out on the hardware aspect of computers, as having a hybrid knowledge of the two is why I chose this major in the first place. So I guess my question is: Are there any software engineering jobs that still allow you to handle and interface with hardware on a very low level? Or am I to be forced to choose which focus I love more?

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  • Is it a good idea to always use Google as the first step to solving a problem? [closed]

    - by The Rubber Duck
    Possible Duplicate: Importance of learning to google efficiently for a programmer? Avoiding lengthy discussions, as a senior level student in CS, how can I get away from Googling problems I run into? I find myself using it too much; I seemingly reach for the instant answer and then blindly copy and paste code, hoping it works. Anyone can do that. I've read the related threads about being a better programmer, but mostly those recommend practicing on pet projects, which I have done, but again I feel EVERY wall encountered, from design through completion, was hurdled with Google. Do professionals instantly "research" their problem? Or do you guys step back and try and figure it out yourselves? I'm talking about both 'algorithm/design' problems as well as compiler issues.

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  • SQL SERVER – T-SQL Script to Take Database Offline – Take Database Online

    - by pinaldave
    Blog reader Joyesh Mitra recently left a comment to one of my very old posts about SQL SERVER – 2005 Take Off Line or Detach Database, which I have written focusing on taking the database offline. However, I did not include how to bring the offline database to online in that post. The reason I did not write it was that I was thinking it was a very simple script that almost everyone knows. However, it seems to me that there is something I found advanced in this procedure that is not simple for other people. We all have different expertise and we all try to learn new things, so I do not see any reason as to not write about the script to take the database online. -- Create Test DB CREATE DATABASE [myDB] GO -- Take the Database Offline ALTER DATABASE [myDB] SET OFFLINE WITH ROLLBACK IMMEDIATE GO -- Take the Database Online ALTER DATABASE [myDB] SET ONLINE GO -- Clean up DROP DATABASE [myDB] GO Joyesh let me know if this answers your question. Reference : Pinal Dave (http://blog.SQLAuthority.com) Filed under: Pinal Dave, Readers Question, SQL, SQL Authority, SQL Query, SQL Scripts, SQL Server, SQL Tips and Tricks, SQLServer, T SQL, Technology

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  • SQL SERVER – BI Quiz – Troubleshooting Cube Performance

    - by pinaldave
    My friend Jacob Sebastian runs SQL BI Quiz competition. Where there are 30 different questions on each day of the month. Winners get opportunity to participate in this Quiz, learn something new and win great awards. Working with huge data is very common when it is about Data Warehousing. It is necessary to create Cubes on the data to make it meaningful and consumable. There are cases when retrieving the data from cube takes lots of the time. Let us assume that your cube is returning you data very quickly. Suddenly on one day it is returning the data very slowly. What are the three things will you in order to diagnose this. After diagnose what you will do to resolve performance issue. Participate in my question over here Reference: Pinal Dave (http://blog.SQLAuthority.com) Filed under: Business Intelligence, Pinal Dave, PostADay, Readers Question, SQL, SQL Authority, SQL Performance, SQL Puzzle, SQL Query, SQL Server, SQL Tips and Tricks, T SQL, Technology

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  • Declaring struct in header file

    - by wrongusername
    I've been trying to include a structure called "student" in a student.h file, but I'm not quite sure how to do it. My student.h file code consists of entirely: #include<string> using namespace std; struct Student; while the student.cpp file consists of entirely: #include<string> using namespace std; struct Student { string lastName, firstName; //long list of other strings... just strings though }; Unfortunately, files that use #include "student.h" come up with numerous errors like error C2027: use of undefined type 'Student', error C2079: 'newStudent' uses undefined struct 'Student' (where newStudent is a function with a Student parameter), and error C2228: left of '.lastName' must have class/struct/union. It appears the compiler (VC++) does not recognize struct Student from "student.h" or something? I have tried declaring the whole struct in "student.h", but it didn't help either. How can I declare struct Student in "student.h" so that I can just #include "student.h" and start using the struct? BTW, it seems there are no compiler errors in student.h...

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  • Student's t distribution in JavaScript

    - by Sai Emrys
    Google Spreadsheets currently does not support the standard function TDIST - i.e. the Student's t-distribution. This function is critical for calculating p-values. It seems that this is related to the fact that no integral-using functions (AFAICT) are implemented either. However, Google Docs allows people to add and publish their own scripts, in JavaScript. So ideally we should have something like: function tdist(t_value, degrees_of_freedom, two_tailed [defaults true]) {...} Anyone know of either an extant implementation of this (my google-fu has not turned up one, but may be weaker than yours) or a good idea for how to do it? I'd like to publish this together with some other useful functions that are currently calculable but a bit of a pain (like Student's t-test itself). Thanks!

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  • SQL SERVER – Solution – Challenge – Puzzle – Usage of FAST Hint

    - by pinaldave
    Earlier I had posted quick puzzle and I had received wonderful response to the same from Brad Schulz. Today we will go over the solution. The puzzle was posted here: SQL SERVER – Challenge – Puzzle – Usage of FAST Hint The question was in what condition the hint FAST will be useful. In the response to this puzzle blog post here is what SQL Server Expert Brad Schulz has pointed me to his blog post where he explain how FAST hint can be useful. I strongly recommend to read his blog post over here. With the permission of the Brad, I am reproducing following queries here. He has come up with example where FAST hint improves the performance. USE AdventureWorks GO DECLARE @DesiredDateAtMidnight DATETIME = '20010709' DECLARE @NextDateAtMidnight DATETIME = DATEADD(DAY,1,@DesiredDateAtMidnight) -- Query without FAST SELECT OrderID=h.SalesOrderID ,h.OrderDate ,h.TerritoryID ,TerritoryName=t.Name ,c.CardType ,c.CardNumber ,CardExpire=RIGHT(STR(100+ExpMonth),2)+'/'+STR(ExpYear,4) ,h.TotalDue FROM Sales.SalesOrderHeader h LEFT JOIN Sales.SalesTerritory t ON h.TerritoryID=t.TerritoryID LEFT JOIN Sales.CreditCard c ON h.CreditCardID=c.CreditCardID WHERE OrderDate>=@DesiredDateAtMidnight AND OrderDate<@NextDateAtMidnight ORDER BY h.SalesOrderID; -- Query with FAST(10) SELECT OrderID=h.SalesOrderID ,h.OrderDate ,h.TerritoryID ,TerritoryName=t.Name ,c.CardType ,c.CardNumber ,CardExpire=RIGHT(STR(100+ExpMonth),2)+'/'+STR(ExpYear,4) ,h.TotalDue FROM Sales.SalesOrderHeader h LEFT JOIN Sales.SalesTerritory t ON h.TerritoryID=t.TerritoryID LEFT JOIN Sales.CreditCard c ON h.CreditCardID=c.CreditCardID WHERE OrderDate>=@DesiredDateAtMidnight AND OrderDate<@NextDateAtMidnight ORDER BY h.SalesOrderID OPTION(FAST 10) Now when you check the execution plan for the same, you will find following visible difference. You will find query with FAST returns results with much lower cost. Thank you Brad for excellent post and teaching us something. I request all of you to read original blog post written by Brad for much more information. Reference: Pinal Dave (http://blog.sqlauthority.com) Filed under: Pinal Dave, Readers Contribution, Readers Question, SQL, SQL Authority, SQL Puzzle, SQL Query, SQL Scripts, SQL Server, SQL Tips and Tricks, T SQL, Technology

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  • SQL SERVER – Fastest Way to Restore the Database

    - by pinaldave
    A few days ago, I received following email: “Pinal, We are in an emergency situation. We have a large database of around 80+ GB and its backup is of 50+ GB in size. We need to restore this database ASAP and use it; however, restoring the database takes forever. Do you think a compressed backup would solve our problem? Any other ideas you got?” First of all, the asker has already answered his own question. Yes; I have seen that if you are using a compressed backup, it takes lesser time when you try to restore a database. I have previously blogged about the same subject. Here are the links to those blog posts: SQL SERVER – Data and Page Compressions – Data Storage and IO Improvement SQL SERVER – 2008 – Introduction to Row Compression SQL SERVER – 2008 – Introduction to New Feature of Backup Compression However, if your database is very large that it still takes a few minutes to restore the database even though you use any of the features listed above, then it will really take some time to restore the database. If there is urgency and there is no time you can spare for restoring the database, then you can use the wonderful tool developed by Idera called virtual database. This tool restores a certain database in just a few seconds so it will readily be available for usage. I have in depth written my experience with this tool in the article here SQL SERVER – Retrieve and Explore Database Backup without Restoring Database – Idera virtual database. Let me know your experience in this scenario. Have you ever needed your database backup restored very quickly, what did you do in that scenario. Reference: Pinal Dave (http://blog.SQLAuthority.com) Filed under: Pinal Dave, Readers Question, SQL, SQL Authority, SQL Backup and Restore, SQL Performance, SQL Query, SQL Server, SQL Tips and Tricks, T SQL, Technology

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  • SQL SERVER – Solution – Puzzle – SELECT * vs SELECT COUNT(*)

    - by pinaldave
    Earlier I have published Puzzle Why SELECT * throws an error but SELECT COUNT(*) does not. This question have received many interesting comments. Let us go over few of the answers, which are valid. Before I start the same, let me acknowledge Rob Farley who has not only answered correctly very first but also started interesting conversation in the same thread. The usual question will be what is the right answer. I would like to point to official Microsoft Connect Items which discusses the same. RGarvao https://connect.microsoft.com/SQLServer/feedback/details/671475/select-test-where-exists-select tiberiu utan http://connect.microsoft.com/SQLServer/feedback/details/338532/count-returns-a-value-1 Rob Farley count(*) is about counting rows, not a particular column. It doesn’t even look to see what columns are available, it’ll just count the rows, which in the case of a missing FROM clause, is 1. “select *” is designed to return columns, and therefore barfs if there are none available. Even more odd is this one: select ‘blah’ where exists (select *) You might be surprised at the results… Koushik The engine performs a “Constant scan” for Count(*) where as in the case of “SELECT *” the engine is trying to perform either Index/Cluster/Table scans. amikolaj When you query ‘select * from sometable’, SQL replaces * with the current schema of that table. With out a source for the schema, SQL throws an error. so when you query ‘select count(*)’, you are counting the one row. * is just a constant to SQL here. Check out the execution plan. Like the description states – ‘Scan an internal table of constants.’ You could do ‘select COUNT(‘my name is adam and this is my answer’)’ and get the same answer. Netra Acharya SELECT * Here, * represents all columns from a table. So it always looks for a table (As we know, there should be FROM clause before specifying table name). So, it throws an error whenever this condition is not satisfied. SELECT COUNT(*) Here, COUNT is a Function. So it is not mandetory to provide a table. Check it out this: DECLARE @cnt INT SET @cnt = COUNT(*) SELECT @cnt SET @cnt = COUNT(‘x’) SELECT @cnt Naveen Select 1 / Select ‘*’ will return 1/* as expected. Select Count(1)/Count(*) will return the count of result set of select statement. Count(1)/Count(*) will have one 1/* for each row in the result set of select statement. Select 1 or Select ‘*’ result set will contain only 1 result. so count is 1. Where as “Select *” is a sysntax which expects the table or equauivalent to table (table functions, etc..). It is like compilation error for that query. Ramesh Hi Friends, Count is an aggregate function and it expects the rows (list of records) for a specified single column or whole rows for *. So, when we use ‘select *’ it definitely give and error because ‘*’ is meant to have all the fields but there is not any table and without table it can only raise an error. So, in the case of ‘Select Count(*)’, there will be an error as a record in the count function so you will get the result as ’1'. Try using : Select COUNT(‘RAMESH’) and think there is an error ‘Must specify table to select from.’ in place of ‘RAMESH’ Pinal : If i am wrong then please clarify this. Sachin Nandanwar Any aggregate function expects a constant or a column name as an expression. DO NOT be confused with * in an aggregate function.The aggregate function does not treat it as a column name or a set of column names but a constant value, as * is a key word in SQL. You can replace any value instead of * for the COUNT function.Ex Select COUNT(5) will result as 1. The error resulting from select * is obvious it expects an object where it can extract the result set. I sincerely thank you all for wonderful conversation, I personally enjoyed it and I am sure all of you have the same feeling. Reference: Pinal Dave (http://blog.SQLAuthority.com) Filed under: CodeProject, Pinal Dave, PostADay, Readers Contribution, Readers Question, SQL, SQL Authority, SQL Puzzle, SQL Query, SQL Scripts, SQL Server, SQL Tips and Tricks, SQLServer, T SQL, Technology

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  • SQLAuthority News – SQL SERVER 2008 R2 Pricing

    - by pinaldave
    I was recently asked question about SQL Server 2008 pricing. I have bookmarked official site here which lists the pricing. Official site: What’s New in SQL Server 2008 R2 Editions Editions Per Processor PricingRetail Per Server Plus CAL PricingRetail Parallel Data Warehouse $57,498 Not offered via Server CAL Datacenter $57,498 Not offered via Server CAL Enterprise $28,749 $13,969 with 25 CALs Standard $7,499 $1,849 with 5 CALs However, I have [...]

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  • SQL SERVER – Creating All New Database with Full Recovery Model

    - by pinaldave
    Sometimes, complex problems have very simple solutions. Let us see the following email which I received recently. “Hi Pinal, In our system when we create new database, by default, they are all created with the Simple Recovery Model. We have to manually change the recovery model after we create the database. We used the following simple T-SQL code: CREATE DATABASE dbname. We are very frustrated with this situation. We want all our databases to have the Full Recovery Model option by default. We are considering the following methods; please suggest the most efficient one among them. 1) Creating a Policy; when it is violated, the database model can be fixed 2) Triggers at Server Level 3) Automated Job which goes through all the databases and checks their recovery model; if the DBA has not changed the model, then the job will list the Databases and change their recovery model Also, we have a situation where we need a database in the Simple Recovery Model as well – how to white list them? Please suggest the best method.” Indeed, an interesting email! The answer to their question, i.e., which is the best method to fit their needs (white list, default, etc)? It will be NONE of the above. Here is the solution in one line and also the easiest way: Just go to your Model database: Path in SSMS >> Databases > System Databases >> model >> Right Click Properties >> Options >> Recovery Model - Select Full from dropdown. Every newly created database takes its base template from the Model Database. If you create a custom SP in the Model Database, when you create a new database, it will automatically exist in that database. Any database that was already created before making changes in the Model Database will not be affected at all. Creating Policy is also a good method, and I will blog about this in a separate blog post, but looking at current specifications of the reader, I think the Model Database should be modified to have a Full Recovery Option. While writing this blog post, I remembered my another blog post where the model database log file was growing drastically even though there were no transactions SQL SERVER – Log File Growing for Model Database – model Database Log File Grew Too Big. NOTE: Please do not touch the Model Database unnecessary. It is a strict “No.” If you want to create an object that you need in all the databases, then instead of creating it in model database, I suggest that you create a new database called maintenance and create the object there. Reference: Pinal Dave (http://blog.SQLAuthority.com) Filed under: PostADay, Readers Question, SQL, SQL Authority, SQL Query, SQL Server, SQL Tips and Tricks, T SQL, Technology

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  • Pull/push student assignment files from computer lab computers (Windows 7)

    - by mkstreet
    I have a computer lab with about 35 PC's all running Windows 7. The students do their work and save it on the D-drive in a particular folder such as a folder with the same name as the computer's name (e.g. LABPC001). I'd like a centralized way to pull all these folders in to the teacher's computer in the lab to check the assignments. It would be best if this didn't involve using an external website (e.g. Dropbox). I would also like to be able to distribute (send) files to the students in these same folders. I've seen software applications that do this but they cost about US$1000 which is far beyond our means. Suggestions for free, or almost free, best ways to set this up?

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  • SQL SERVER – Shrinking NDF and MDF Files – Readers’ Opinion

    - by pinaldave
    Previously, I had written a blog post about SQL SERVER – Shrinking NDF and MDF Files – A Safe Operation. After that, I have written the following blog post that talks about the advantage and disadvantage of Shrinking and why one should not be Shrinking a file SQL SERVER – SHRINKFILE and TRUNCATE Log File in SQL Server 2008. On this subject, SQL Server Expert Imran Mohammed left an excellent comment. I just feel that his comment is worth a big article itself. For everybody to read his wonderful explanation, I am posting this blog post here. Thanks Imran! Shrinking Database always creates performance degradation and increases fragmentation in the database. I suggest that you keep that in mind before you start reading the following comment. If you are going to say Shrinking Database is bad and evil, here I am saying it first and loud. Now, the comment of Imran is written while keeping in mind only the process showing how the Shrinking Database Operation works. Imran has already explained his understanding and requests further explanation. I have removed the Best Practices section from Imran’s comments, as there are a few corrections. Comments from Imran - Before I explain to you the concept of Shrink Database, let us understand the concept of Database Files. When we create a new database inside the SQL Server, it is typical that SQl Server creates two physical files in the Operating System: one with .MDF Extension, and another with .LDF Extension. .MDF is called as Primary Data File. .LDF is called as Transactional Log file. If you add one or more data files to a database, the physical file that will be created in the Operating System will have an extension of .NDF, which is called as Secondary Data File; whereas, when you add one or more log files to a database, the physical file that will be created in the Operating System will have the same extension as .LDF. The questions now are, “Why does a new data file have a different extension (.NDF)?”, “Why is it called as a secondary data file?” and, “Why is .MDF file called as a primary data file?” Answers: Note: The following explanation is based on my limited knowledge of SQL Server, so experts please do comment. A data file with a .MDF extension is called a Primary Data File, and the reason behind it is that it contains Database Catalogs. Catalogs mean Meta Data. Meta Data is “Data about Data”. An example for Meta Data includes system objects that store information about other objects, except the data stored by the users. sysobjects stores information about all objects in that database. sysindexes stores information about all indexes and rows of every table in that database. syscolumns stores information about all columns that each table has in that database. sysusers stores how many users that database has. Although Meta Data stores information about other objects, it is not the transactional data that a user enters; rather, it’s a system data about the data. Because Primary Data File (.MDF) contains important information about the database, it is treated as a special file. It is given the name Primary Data file because it contains the Database Catalogs. This file is present in the Primary File Group. You can always create additional objects (Tables, indexes etc.) in the Primary data file (This file is present in the Primary File group), by mentioning that you want to create this object under the Primary File Group. Any additional data file that you add to the database will have only transactional data but no Meta Data, so that’s why it is called as the Secondary Data File. It is given the extension name .NDF so that the user can easily identify whether a specific data file is a Primary Data File or a Secondary Data File(s). There are many advantages of storing data in different files that are under different file groups. You can put your read only in the tables in one file (file group) and read-write tables in another file (file group) and take a backup of only the file group that has read the write data, so that you can avoid taking the backup of a read-only data that cannot be altered. Creating additional files in different physical hard disks also improves I/O performance. A real-time scenario where we use Files could be this one: Let’s say you have created a database called MYDB in the D-Drive which has a 50 GB space. You also have 1 Database File (.MDF) and 1 Log File on D-Drive and suppose that all of that 50 GB space has been used up and you do not have any free space left but you still want to add an additional space to the database. One easy option would be to add one more physical hard disk to the server, add new data file to MYDB database and create this new data file in a new hard disk then move some of the objects from one file to another, and put the file group under which you added new file as default File group, so that any new object that is created gets into the new files, unless specified. Now that we got a basic idea of what data files are, what type of data they store and why they are named the way they are, let’s move on to the next topic, Shrinking. First of all, I disagree with the Microsoft terminology for naming this feature as “Shrinking”. Shrinking, in regular terms, means to reduce the size of a file by means of compressing it. BUT in SQL Server, Shrinking DOES NOT mean compressing. Shrinking in SQL Server means to remove an empty space from database files and release the empty space either to the Operating System or to SQL Server. Let’s examine this through an example. Let’s say you have a database “MYDB” with a size of 50 GB that has a free space of about 20 GB, which means 30GB in the database is filled with data and the 20 GB of space is free in the database because it is not currently utilized by the SQL Server (Database); it is reserved and not yet in use. If you choose to shrink the database and to release an empty space to Operating System, and MIND YOU, you can only shrink the database size to 30 GB (in our example). You cannot shrink the database to a size less than what is filled with data. So, if you have a database that is full and has no empty space in the data file and log file (you don’t have an extra disk space to set Auto growth option ON), YOU CANNOT issue the SHRINK Database/File command, because of two reasons: There is no empty space to be released because the Shrink command does not compress the database; it only removes the empty space from the database files and there is no empty space. Remember, the Shrink command is a logged operation. When we perform the Shrink operation, this information is logged in the log file. If there is no empty space in the log file, SQL Server cannot write to the log file and you cannot shrink a database. Now answering your questions: (1) Q: What are the USEDPAGES & ESTIMATEDPAGES that appear on the Results Pane after using the DBCC SHRINKDATABASE (NorthWind, 10) ? A: According to Books Online (For SQL Server 2000): UsedPages: the number of 8-KB pages currently used by the file. EstimatedPages: the number of 8-KB pages that SQL Server estimates the file could be shrunk down to. Important Note: Before asking any question, make sure you go through Books Online or search on the Google once. The reasons for doing so have many advantages: 1. If someone else already has had this question before, chances that it is already answered are more than 50 %. 2. This reduces your waiting time for the answer. (2) Q: What is the difference between Shrinking the Database using DBCC command like the one above & shrinking it from the Enterprise Manager Console by Right-Clicking the database, going to TASKS & then selecting SHRINK Option, on a SQL Server 2000 environment? A: As far as my knowledge goes, there is no difference, both will work the same way, one advantage of using this command from query analyzer is, your console won’t be freezed. You can do perform your regular activities using Enterprise Manager. (3) Q: What is this .NDF file that is discussed above? I have never heard of it. What is it used for? Is it used by end-users, DBAs or the SERVER/SYSTEM itself? A: .NDF File is a secondary data file. You never heard of it because when database is created, SQL Server creates database by default with only 1 data file (.MDF) and 1 log file (.LDF) or however your model database has been setup, because a model database is a template used every time you create a new database using the CREATE DATABASE Command. Unless you have added an extra data file, you will not see it. This file is used by the SQL Server to store data which are saved by the users. Hope this information helps. I would like to as the experts to please comment if what I understand is not what the Microsoft guys meant. Reference: Pinal Dave (http://blog.SQLAuthority.com) Filed under: Readers Contribution, Readers Question, SQL, SQL Authority, SQL Query, SQL Scripts, SQL Server, SQL Tips and Tricks, T SQL, Technology

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  • Django design question: extending User to make users that can't log in

    - by jobrahms
    The site I'm working on involves teachers creating student objects. The teacher can choose to make it possible for a student to log into the site (to check calendars, etc) OR the teacher can choose to use the student object only for record keeping and not allow the student to log in. In the student creation form, if the teacher supplies a username and a password, it should create an object of the first kind - one that can log in, i.e. a regular User object. If the teacher does not supply a username/password, it should create the second type. The other requirement is that the teacher should be able to go in later and change a non-logging-in student to the other kind. What's the best way to design for this scenario? Subclass User and make username and password not required? What else would this affect?

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