Insight to SQL Server

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Insight to SQL Server

AppSup_dba

SSCrazy

Points: 2215
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July 2, 2010 at 9:07 am

#387267

While in a recent discussion with a peer. I was stuck in below mentioned issue. Hope anyone can provide me any insight to architecture of SQL server or any study material will also do. Already tried googling it but not much help....
1)If i am to retrieve data stored by me in a table, without using any tool (and SSMS ofcourse), how can i do it? How can i see the data stored by me in Database/table. In what format is it stored?
2)Why do we need DBCC in SQL server. To check Consistency? if yes why does this inconsistency happens in the first place? why does memory page allocation fail? why does linkage breaks between the pages?
Apart from above question any study material on sql server architecture will be of great help to me.
Cheers

Viewing 7 posts - 1 through 6 (of 6 total)

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Eugene Elutin SSC Guru Points: 59322 More actions · Answer 1

ankur_dba (7/2/2010)
...
1)If i am to retrieve data stored by me in a table, without using any tool (and SSMS ofcourse), how can i do it?
...

I do really like this question. Retrieve data without using ANY tool? Virtually by bare hands?

Yes it is possible! But only if you have very tiny fingers 😀

_____________________________________________
"The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing"
"O skol'ko nam otkrytiy chudnyh prevnosit microsofta duh!":-D
(So many miracle inventions provided by MS to us...)

How to post your question to get the best and quick help[/url]

AppSup_dba SSCrazy Points: 2215 More actions · Answer 2

Please dont get me wrong here:-)

i meant in what format is it stored? Is it some file sort or what? Whats the unit of data stored...

Hope i am a bit clear now.

Cheers

Steve Jones - SSC Editor SSC Guru Points: 735657 More actions · Answer 3

You can't get the data without a tool. Even if you stop the server, and open the data files with notepad, you're using a tool. It's a stupid question.

SQL Server allocates space in files, that's how everything is stored in Windows. Inside those files, it has a specific format for each version. This is why you can't attach a 2008 database to a 2005 server. It doesn't understand the format of how things are stored.

DBCC is needed because anything built by humans is fallable. Inconsistencies can, and do, happen. Scribbles on disks, power fluctuations while a head is moving or memory is being written, etc.

Eugene Elutin SSC Guru Points: 59322 More actions · Answer 4

The very common result of trying to get data by hands without using appropriate tool is:

Steve Jones - Editor (7/2/2010)
... Scribbles on disks...

And, as mentioned by Steve, DBCC utilities comes very handy

😀

_____________________________________________
"The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing"
"O skol'ko nam otkrytiy chudnyh prevnosit microsofta duh!":-D
(So many miracle inventions provided by MS to us...)

How to post your question to get the best and quick help[/url]

AppSup_dba SSCrazy Points: 2215 More actions · Answer 5

Notepad / word editors are acceptable... query editor/SSMS/third party tool not allowed...

Anyways sorry for not being able to convey what i am looking for (thought you people would understand)

Will try to be precise next time on.

Thankx for your time.

Cheers

Steve Jones - SSC Editor SSC Guru Points: 735657 More actions · Answer 6

The format is not published, you would not necessarily be able to get to all the data, so it's still a silly question. SQL Server is built to work with clients, and only clients. All tools (Excel, SSMS, .NET app) are clients.